Heart of Ice
by AManwithaB0x
Summary: Orphaned at a young age, Weiss grew up hating all faunus... but now she has to deal with one coming to live with her and her adopted mother and sister. Medieval-fantasy-AU.
1. Stray

**_**(**_** ** _ **4**_** ** _ **/**_** ** _ **2**_** ** _ **4**_** ** _ **Update:**_** ** _ **Final v**_** ** _ **ersion of chapters 1-**_** ** _ **5**_** ** _ **.**_** ** _ **)**_**

 **…**

 ** **Author's Note: Once upon a time, I wrote a short**** ** **little**** ** **story I called 'Heart of Stone,'**** ** **but n**** ** **o one ever read it and I never actually finished**** ** **the thing**** ** **. Fast forward a few years, and now I'm writing stories**** ** **for RWBY**** ** **– what better place to revive my old work? All I had to do was insert the right characters and**** ** **clean up the plot a bit…**** ** **the rest would**** ** **basically**** ** **take care of itself.****

 ** **For context, t**** ** **his**** ** **is a**** ** **medieval-fantasy-AU featur**** ** **ing**** ** **a variation of the**** ** **Fa**** ** **unus race that is similar in nature to**** ** **stereo**** ** **typical**** ** **elves – people with**** ** **strange**** ** **ears that are naturally proficient in magic, largely misunderstood, and generally**** ** **disliked**** ** **by humans.**** ** **I used elves in the original story, s**** ** **o**** ** **…**** ** **yeah.**** ** **Deal with it.****

 ** **Finally, a note on the prose – as a personal writing exercise, I'm not allowing myself to start any sentences with the word 'The'**** ** **for the entire fic.**** ** **It's a little thing that won't affect**** ** **w**** ** **hat happens in the story, but I'm still gonna point it out cuz I enjoyed doing it.****

 **…**

 ** _ **Story Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY in any way. This is a work of fanfiction.**_**

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… _ …

…

Sunlight glittered across the surface of the water, reflecting shards of ethereal glass over every inch of the riverbank. Oum River was calm, but a steady current kept the water rippling along in gentle undulations. There were no clouds in the sky above, giving it a feeling of endlessness – as though you could truly lose yourself in the abyss if you stared for too long.

As the sun continued it's journey across the sky, undaunted by worldly concerns, Weiss Schnee looked on from a shady spot on the bank of the river and simply watched it all. In the distance, a falcon swooped down from a tree and plucked a fish from the water with deadly precision. Weiss was often jealous of birds – no matter who lived or died on the ground, they carried on as they ever did. They cared not a whit for the human world of death and destruction. They were magnificent creatures, truly above it all.

At the young age of 17, just coming into womanhood, Weiss stood as tall as any fully matured Lady of the Courts. Her long hair was a stark white color, a constant reminder that her family blood was tainted with old magic – and that was a stigma that could mean her death if she wandered into the less friendly parts of the world. Her eyes, as blue as the deepest ice of the north sea, gazed out over the water. These were another mark of her family, but there was no stigma attached to them – Weiss was proud to show off her eyes. Her father had them, and his father before him, all the way back to the founding of Vale. The Schnees were an old and well respected family, nobility at it's finest.

At least, they _used_ to be. Before the Mt. Glenn Tragedy.

Before the damned Faunus came to kill them all.

"Weiss?" came a voice from behind her, "We're almost ready to go."

Weiss turned to regard the speaker, a woman of lower upbringing who carried herself with all the grace of a true-born princess. "I'll be right there, Summer," Weiss replied.

Summer Rose nodded, then returned her attention to the bags tied to her saddle. Summer's cloak shone brightly in the direct sunlight, but the dust of the road and long years of wear had toned down the garment from pure white to a pale beige. Thomas, her chestnut horse, nickered with impatience. He, too, was ready for this trip to be over.

A second, smaller chestnut horse called Wolfe stood nearby with only a few bags tied to his saddle. A deep crimson cloak set his rider apart from her mother – Ruby Rose, Summer's only child, never really liked being out in the sun for too long because she burned easily. She was almost as pale as Weiss, and that was saying something. Ruby had her hood up as she waited on the group to get moving again.

Weiss stood with a suppressed grunt and brushed the lingering sand from her hips. Her armor did not glitter in the sunlight as it once did, but it still clinked musically as she moved. Anyone who knew about armor would instantly know the design as Atlesian – the craftsmanship was undeniable, even if it wasn't full plate. Her hope was that it would deter would-be bandits from trying to rob them simply by making her look tough. Weiss was no fighter, but _someone_ needed to look the part… otherwise their little group would attract every vagabond in the kingdom like flies to carrion. Weiss' personal dagger could only do so much to protect them.

Weiss approached her own snowy mare, simply called Frost, and checked over her bags. Once she was satisfied nothing had fallen off, Weiss mounted up and the trio resumed their trip, refreshed after the short break by the river.

And Weiss quickly remembered _why_ she wanted the break in the first place. Her butt was still sore from the saddle. Ouch.

Ruby noticed her squirming and quietly said, "I still have that ointment if you need it."

"I'll be alright," Weiss responded through gritted teeth. It felt like she was sitting on hot coals, but she was always too stubborn to ask for help… unless she was bleeding, anyway. And riding side-saddle didn't help one bit.

They continued north along the trail, keeping a steady pace that didn't tire out the horses. If nothing went wrong, they would reach the gates of Haven before nightfall.

At that moment, Weiss wanted nothing more than to sink deep into a thick, soft cushion and sleep for a week.

…

… _ …

… _ … _ …

 _Heart of Ice_

 _Chapter 1:_  
 _Stray_

… _ … _ …

… _ …

…

Two hours later, Weiss found herself in a living hell.

There was no warning; one moment she was riding with the others, no problems, then a hard _thud_ on the back of her head… followed by blackness.

Note to self: Next time, invest in a helmet.

Upon waking fully, Weiss found herself bound hand and foot with thick ropes. Ruby was lying beside her, also tied up but unconscious. There was no sign of Summer.

Harsh, grating laughter drew Weiss' attention to a circle of open dirt a few feet away, surrounded by people who could be nothing else but bandits. Their ragged clothes and rough appearance made that all too obvious. They also spoke the language of the northern tribes, a harsh tongue that Weiss had never bothered to learn back home. It was the language of barbarians, and a Schnee did not sully her tongue with such drivel.

That was when Weiss found Summer in the clutches of the bandit leader.

Oddly, the leader was a woman. At least, Weiss _assumed_ it was a woman based on the large breasts hanging out of her shirt. She was otherwise built like a man – angular face, hard muscles, wide shoulders, wild blonde hair tied into a rough ponytail, and startling lilac eyes – but she was showing a bit _too much_ interest in the lifeless form of Summer. It looked like the bandit leader was examining her as though she were a side of beef at the market. Summer was also bound hand and foot like Weiss, but various parts of her clothing had been removed. It looked like they'd been cut off, actually. Most of the other bandits looked on, their gazes hungry, but none dared approach until their leader gave them permission. Weiss had no doubt about their intentions, if the bulges in their pants were any indication.

They were too busy examining Summer to notice that Weiss had awakened, but she soon rectified that with an angry squawk of, _"Let her go you beasts!"_

Every eye in the gathering turned to her as Weiss tried in vain to wriggle free of her ropes. One bandit reached over and picked her up off the ground bodily, carrying her into the clearing like a sack of potatoes. _"Unhand me, brute! Lowlife!"_ _she kept growling, but her_ _trembling_ _voice gave away her t_ _error_ _._ Weiss tried to give each and every one of these degenerates her strongest glare, but it had little to no effect. If anything, they seemed to get more excited. Eager. A pit formed in her stomach as she tried to keep from imagining what was in store for her.

More strange words were spoken as the blonde woman grunted to her associates, then said something to Weiss, which of course was lost in translation. All the white haired girl could do was keep glaring.

As the blonde woman took a breath, another bandit brought Ruby's unconscious body over. She continued speaking as she pointed to both Ruby and Summer, then to Weiss. It was clear she was stating her intentions, and they were obviously not pleasant.

Then she pulled two small items from her belt pouch. Two leather collars, with chains affixed to each.

Slave collars.

Two of them were going to be sold… as slaves. Property. There was no doubt in Weiss' mind that the third would be kept by these bandits and …used. It was a fate worse than death itself.

A deep, unholy rage bubbled up from the deepest part of Weiss' soul as she glared at the blonde woman. Her vision faded to red… she registered a feeling of distant pain…

And then silence engulfed her, taking her away to a deep, silent sleep.

…  
…

Weiss awoke to a black sky filled with stars.

Soothing heat from a nearby campfire pulled Weiss fully back to the land of the living. She tried to sit up, but every muscle in her body screamed in protest and forced her back down. Her head was screaming with pain, too – It almost felt like a large mountain cat had settled behind her eyes and was roaring a challenge to the world, rattling her brain in the process. She closed her eyes again, which seemed to numb the pain a little.

Two small hands came next, gently wiping the sweat from her brow with a damp rag. "Take it easy, Weiss. You're still recovering."

"Ruby…? You're okay?" She asked groggily, but kept her eyes firmly shut; the dim light of the fire stabbed into her skull when she looked around.

"Yeah…" the younger girl answered. There was a pause, then, "Do you remember what happened?"

 _Other than bandits trying to sell_ _us_ _as slaves?_ "Not a damn thing…" Weiss replied between throbs of pain from her head. She pressed her fingers on the bridge of her nose, easing the pressure a little.

"That's probably for the best."

Weiss carefully pried open one eye, regarding the redhead next to her. "Why do you say that?"

Ruby's answer was hesitant, shaky, "You've… been out for two days, now. All the bodies were… starting to stink… so we had to bury them at the… edge of the trees."

"Bodies?! _What_ bodies?"

"Well, uh… the bandits you… um… _killed_."

A second voice came from the other side of the fire, one Weiss was quite pleased to hear again, "What she means is that you saved us. You and your… _glowing_ friend."

That was NOT what she wanted to hear right now! Weiss groaned from her position on the ground, "Oh by the Goddess… not _AGAIN!"_ She thumped the dirt with her fist in pure frustration.

"'Again'…?" Ruby's voice betrayed her confusion.

Summer tried to answer, "It's a little… _talent_ of hers-"

"It's a twice-damned _curse_ is what it is!" Weiss cut in harshly.

"That 'curse' of yours saved our lives today. And need I remind you that it has saved your own life on more than one occasion…?"

" _I never asked for the power to summon a… a… DEMON!"_

After a short pause, Ruby muttered, "It looked like a normal knight to _me."_

Weiss heard Summer walk over and sit down next to her, and the older woman said, "Weiss, you and I both know he's not a demon. Your mother told you what he is, remember? He's the Guardian of the Schnee Family, a celestial being whose duty it is to protect those of the Schnee blood. He's as much a part of you as that lovely white hair of yours."

Weiss remained silent, still holding her hand to her head with her eyes closed. She really didn't want to respond, as her choice of words would have gotten her slapped.

"Very few members of the Schnee family were ever able to summon him at will – he's only ever appeared in times of greatest need – but the fact that he chose _you_ to bond with means you're special. Don't you see?"

"I'd rather _not_ talk about it," Weiss interrupted sourly. "My head hurts enough as it is."

Summer sighed, but relented, "Very well. I'll put your sword with the bags."

"Wait… what? What sword?" Weiss finally looked over at the older woman, "I don't _own_ a sword."

Summer pointed towards the open circle of dirt. Weiss followed the finger, her curiosity piqued.

In the center of the clearing was a beautiful one-handed sword, planted point-first in the sand. It was not made of any metal she'd ever seen before; the glittering light of the fire gave it a supernatural look, and the starlight only added to that. For all the girl knew, it might have been made of pure glass. It had a broad hilt, able to fully shield the hand from harm, as well as a pommel bearing a gorgeous blue gemstone. It's blade was narrow yet thick, belying a hidden strength – it could probably puncture plate armor with enough force behind it. In short, it was _gorgeous._

"Where did that come from?" Weiss asked in awe.

Summer brushed a little of Weiss' hair out of the girl's face, gently saying, "When you summoned the Guardian, you also created that blade out of thin air. I had just woken up as it all started, so I saw everything. It looked as though you were using that sword to… _control_ the Guardian. You drove the blade into the ground right there just before you passed out, and he vanished right after."

All at once, the beauty of the sword was gone – now it looked evil. Like a blade made of shadows. A weapon of demons.

"So it's a … _magic_ sword?" Weiss growled. "Get rid of it. Bury it. Toss it in the bay. I want _nothing_ to do with it."

As she spoke, the blade flashed with a bluish light… then vanished.

"I think it heard you," Ruby mumbled.

…  
…

_/_/_/_/_/

 _Fire. Flames everywhere._

 _Coughing, smoke, fire. Weiss cried, screaming._

 _Mommy? Daddy? Where are you?_

 _Fire everywhere._

 _Beams cracking, the ceiling collapsed. Weiss ran, her little legs pumping hard to take her out of the house. Her house. Her home._

 _She tripped, falling. Tumbling down stairs. Bumped and bruised. A cut over her face, her left eye. Blood running down her face. Into her mouth._

 _Mt. Glenn was burning. Her home was burning. Everyone was dead. She was alive, but everyone else was dead._ _The entire estate, burning. On fire._

 _More crying, smoke, pain. Lonely. Where were Mommy and Daddy?_

 _All around her the flames danced, like devils in the night. Hot, so hot._

 _Suddenly she was rising, being picked up by strong arms and carried away. She couldn't see the face, only shadows. Clutching the arms, crying. A soft voice, giving_ _desperate_ _comfort. It wasn't Mommy, but she sounded gentle, caring._ _There was still fear underneath, but she didn't let it_ _ _w__ _ _in__ _. She stayed brave._

 _F_ _lames gr_ _ _o__ _w_ _ing_ _distant, faint. Peace came over her._

 _All Weiss could remember of her savior was long black hair. Like an ebony waterfall._

_/_/_/_/_/

…

… _ …

…

She came late in the night, when the campfire was little more than a pile of embers and the clearing was lit only by the light of a full moon.

As the trio of travelers slept, a young girl darted into the clearing. Her brilliant amber eyes examined each of them in turn, looking over everything with unabashed curiosity. She touched one girl's deep red hair, gently fingered the white cloak of another. Her large, cat-like ears flicked in the stillness of the night, scanning for even the smallest sounds. Making sure none of them were awake to catch her. Regular breathing. Slow heartbeats. All asleep.

These people were humans, this she knew… but they didn't seem all that dangerous. Humans always tried to kill her on sight, so much so that she was always wary whenever they were around. Caution was how she stayed alive. Over the years, most of the humans the child had watched camping in the wilds made sure to keep one of them awake during the night to keep an eye on the trees. This made it much harder to steal their food. These humans didn't seem to think about such things – even after the fighting a few days ago, none of them stayed awake through the night. Were they fools?

She quickly found their bags and sniffed around, hunting for scraps to eat. She was careful to be totally silent as she foraged; human hearing could be really good at the worst of times. Blankets… metal things… empty bags… maybe over here?

A light moan came from one human, and the girl almost darted away… but something caused her to stop. To stay. It sounded like the human was in pain. A nightmare?

In the darkness, the girl squatted next to the human and stared in awe; this one had white hair. _White_. It was so pretty that the girl couldn't help but run her fingers through it. White and soft, like fine silk. So soft. This human also had a thin scar across one eye. It looked old and very faint, but she could clearly see it in the moonlight.

A single tear slid down the human's cheek as she groaned again. Even though the girl had no idea what she was doing, she caught the tear on her fingertip and… looked at it. Focused her mind on it. She felt… _something…_ flow out of her and into the drop, causing it to glow with a faint light. She then placed it on the human's forehead, still with no idea what she was doing.

She watched in wonder as the glowing teardrop vanished into the skin, and shortly afterward the human's groaning stopped. A small smile appeared on her sleeping face. Her breathing relaxed.

How strange… What _was_ that? What did she just do?

If Mama were here, the girl would have asked her what just happened. Left on her own, however, the girl had no clue what she'd just done. Things like that seemed to happen a lot around her. It was times like this she missed Mama the most.

Acting on instinct, the young girl with the cat ears leaned down and brushed her nose against the white-haired human's cheek, much like Mama used to do for her whenever it was time for sleep. She let herself purr for a moment, then stood up and carefully made her way back to the safety of the trees. Food would have to come later.

…

… _ …

…

Weiss opened her eyes slowly, marveling at the lovely morning sky… and how good she felt. Oddly… _refreshed_. It was odd because she never slept so well on the ground. Must have been something in the air – they were close to the mountains, after all.

"…It was strange," she heard Summer conversing with Ruby as the mother and daughter packed their things on the horses. Sounded like they'd been up for a while. "I'd seen the Guardian once before, and Willow told me most of the time he shows his enemies no mercy… but he only picked up that blonde woman and threw her into the distance. He _didn't_ simply kill her."

Ruby responded, "You think she survived that? I don't know anyone who could live through that kind of a fall… other than Mister Qrow, anyway."

"Yeah, Qrow… didn't that man once say he _'wouldn't die even if you killed him'_? Honestly. But I think that woman was heading for the bay, or at least close to where the river widens out. If she hit the deeper waters, then she's likely bruised but still alive."

 _ _Well that's a d__ _amn shame,_ Weiss thought to herself as she gathered up her own things. _A woman like that deserved so much worse for what she was going to do to_ _us._

"Mom, look…!" Ruby suddenly whispered. Weiss looked as well and found Ruby pointing to a nearby stand of trees. "I saw something looking at us! I think it was… a girl?"

All three women gathered near Ruby's horse and gazed into the wild, eyes sharp and focused. They all saw the flash of black at the same time, but Weiss noticed an extra detail that eluded the other two at first – cat ears. A human shape added to the overall image, and there was no longer any doubt as to what they were looking at.

 _"_ _F_ _aunus…"_

As Weiss bent down to pick up a rock, Summer caught her wrist and sharply hissed, _"Weiss Schnee, don't you_ _ _dare!__ _She's still_ _a child_ _, how dangerous could she be?"_

Weiss glared, but said nothing. Summer Rose knew _full well_ how deep Weiss' hatred of the Faunus ran. It was the Faunus that killed her family and destroyed Mt. Glenn. Everyone knew that. Governor Ozpin ordered his Huntsman to wipe out the Faunus in retaliation; there shouldn't even be any left!

Weiss didn't say any of that, but merely gave a low growl as she dropped the stone. Summer released her grip, but gave Weiss one last warning glare before turning back to the woods.

Ruby had already crept around her horse carefully with a piece of bread in her hand, and the little Faunus child was now in plain view; it's black hair was ragged and unkempt, and those hideous cat ears were sticking out in plain sight. Honestly, what sort of Faunus just let their extra ears _hang out_ like that? So indecent.

Speaking of indecent, the child was quite muddy and scratched up… and quite naked. It was still too young for anything to be obvious, but it was certainly a female. Even Weiss knew what to look for to tell if it was a male, and… _that_ was not present. Small blessings.

Ruby was practically on her hands and knees now with one hand stretched out holding the bread, and the little beast crept forward carefully, sniffing the air and looking around with it's yellow eyes like it expected someone to throw a rock at it at any moment. Weiss wondered if she would be able to reach Ruby before it was done eating her face. Hopefully not after.

As the trio watched, the creature finally reached Ruby and carefully took the bread. It quickly devoured the piece once it could tell the food was good, then darted back into the woods. Ruby groaned in disappointment.

"Don't worry, Little Rose," Summer sighed as she walked up next to her daughter, "I'm sure we'll see her again."

 _Of course you will,_ Weiss thought sourly. _You just fed it… now it'll keep following you, hoping for another handout._

As they rode away, Weiss gripped the handle of her dagger. She almost wished she had kept that magic sword, if only to scare the thing away. Almost. Goddess willing, Weiss would not be forced to fight it off on their way back home.

…  
…

"Words cannot express how relived I am that you are unharmed, my snow angel."

Weiss merely stood watching the docks, aggressively ignoring the older man standing behind her. She had heard it all before, but somehow he seemed even more insufferable than usual after learning of the bandit attack.

"Why, just give the word, and I shall send forth a legion of my best men to wipe out those mongrels. How _dare_ they try to harm you…"

Weiss _hated_ having to come along on these trips to Haven. It was her job to keep this man occupied while the Rose women shopped in town. She really hoped Summer and Ruby got done soon; if she had to deal with this guy much longer, heads would roll.

"Of course, this would not be an issue if you would but agree to marry me-"

"My answer is still _no,"_ Weiss interrupted. "And it will remain the same, no matter how many times you ask." She turned to give him one of her patented glares.

Lord Nathan Vasilius, of the city of Haven, was the son of a very wealthy Baron and heir-apparent to the largest shipping company this side of Atlas. He also happened to be very handsome, infamous in the surrounding regions as a lady-killer. Due to his tendency to jump off the side of his own ships just for fun, he had gained the nickname 'Lord Neptune,' after the mythical god of the seas. Yet, despite the fact that he was almost as old as Summer, he still pursued a girl as young as Weiss with the fervor of a dog in rut. Shameful. And a bit creepy.

"Even the strongest stone will crumble beneath the sculptor's chisel. I will never stop thinking of you, my snow angel."

Similar to Weiss, Lord Neptune's hair shone with an unnatural blue color, much like the open ocean. Somewhere in his family history was a spot of magical blood, though how this affected him on a deeper level was not clear to anyone. His was not a well-known past.

Too bad his pick-up lines were so green. Or maybe the yellow of cheese. Honestly, was this what society considered an adult?

Weiss turned back to the view from their shared balcony, on the side of Lord Neptune's private villa, and grumbled, "There's no need for that. I'm perfectly happy right where I am."

"A beautiful flower does not belong in a bed of weeds, nor a graceful swan in a chicken coop. You will understand soon enough, my love," he mused as he strode up next to Weiss, carefully placing his hand on her shoulder. "I shall wait as long as I need. As long as it takes."

Weiss couldn't suppress a shudder.

…  
…

Their business concluded, the trio returned to that same clearing on their way home.

Weiss' mood was even more sour than on the first trip, if that was possible. At first it was the lingering irritation with the son of the Vasilius family, but now it was mostly due to her persistent saddle sores. After they got home, she was _never_ riding another horse again. For sure, this time.

It was also due to their inevitable reunion with the black-haired Faunus child. Weiss knew that both of the redheaded women had a weakness for cute things, and that _their_ definition of 'cute' was vastly different from her own. She was already mentally preparing herself to spend at least a full day here just so they could search for it, and she was not looking forward to _that_. With any luck, it was already dead. Or it had already fled to the other side of Vale. Weiss would have preferred the former, personally.

They'd barely stopped before Ruby's sharp eyes spotted their quarry. "There! She's still here!" She cheerily pointed to the same tree they first saw it sitting in.

It didn't even bother to hide itself anymore; it sat on a thick branch, openly gazing at the humans. Weiss didn't want to believe it, but she felt like it was looking at _her_ specifically. Creepy.

This time Summer was the one who dismounted, pulling a much larger piece of bread from her bag (it was actually half a loaf, an amount that left Weiss a bit speechless). She carefully walked forward and knelt down near the trunk of the tree, holding out the bread just as Ruby had done before.

Showing far less caution than last time, the creature descended and gingerly approached the older woman, ears twitching. It seemed to be peering into Summer's very soul as it looked on, waiting to see if this was a trap. It must have seen something it liked, for it finally took the bread and bit into it with a tiny smile.

Weiss shuddered as she felt her skin flare into goosebumps. That smile looked positively _evil._

And then, in front of the Goddess and everyone, the creature suddenly did something Weiss didn't expect – it tore the loaf in half and handed the piece it hadn't bitten back to Summer, who took it with a pleased smile. Summer bit into her piece as the two ate together quietly. Weiss heard a barely-suppressed squeal from Ruby.

After a few minutes, Summer reached out and ruffled the thing's nasty black hair, then stood up and turned to come back to her horse… but was stopped by a tiny hand clutching her cloak. Two large yellow eyes looked up at her, a clear question written within them.

"Aww… do you wanna come along with us…?" Summer asked with a joyful smile.

Ruby cheered at the prospect.

Weiss was ready to puke.

Before the former Schnee even knew what had happened, the trio of travelers suddenly became a quartet. Summer had plopped the little beast right down in her own saddle and now had it wrapped in one of their spare blankets. Every so often the older woman would look down at her new charge and give a cheeky grin – the thing always grinned right back, making itself nice and comfortable.

As they rode, Ruby started hanging back and trying to make conversation with it, smiling like a fool the whole time. She got to touch those filthy ears once and squealed like a moron. This prompted the thing to flatten it's ears against it's head in irritation, which in turn made Ruby stammer out several apologies.

Summer and Ruby decided to call the child Blake, since it's hair was black – because 'black' and 'Blake' sound similar, apparently. They also said something about one of their old pets being named Blake, but Weiss didn't hear everything they talked about. It was something from before she came to live with them, but that's all she knew.

Weiss stayed at the front of the assemblage, trying to keep from looking behind her, because every time she did her anger boiled up further and further.

They had just 'adopted' a Faunus child. A little monster.

She made a mental note to start barring her door every night when she went to bed from now on.

…

… _ …

…

Never had the child met such kind humans before. At least, she couldn't _remember_ if she did or not. Her mind got fuzzy so often.

White Cloak was almost like her own Mama, but she smelled different. She was nice to lean back against in the curved seat on the big walking animal; did they called them… hor-sehs? Hor-sees?

Red Hood was funny, but loud. She would probably end up making loud screechy noises like that all the time, but she _did_ give the child food, so she was okay.

Pretty Hair, though… she seemed mad about the child being there.

Blake, they called her. Red Hood and White Cloak called her Blake when they spoke to her; she didn't remember if she had a name before she met these humans, but she liked that name. She was… Blake. Blake.

Blake stared at Pretty Hair as they rode, longing to touch that soft white hair again. She wanted to become friends with Pretty Hair. She wanted to get closer. Pretty Hair seemed so… lonely.

Blake leaned back against White Cloak, sighing as she relaxed into the soothing warmth and softness of the blanket. She was nice and cozy here… but there was a strange pain in her chest. And it only got worse the longer she looked at that pretty white hair.

She hoped it would pass, and soon.

…

… _ …

…

* * *

 **A/N:** **T** ** **h**** ** **at**** ** **bandit leader was meant to be this world's version of Yang (and she'll be back in chapter 5,**** ** **don't worry**** ** **).**** ** **Since Blake is a child in this world, the only love on display will be sisterly love – a**** ** **ll I'm doing is putting h**** ** **er and Weiss**** ** **in a position where they have to learn to love each other as Big Sister and Little Sister, much like Ruby and Yang do in the canon story (but with f**** ** **ewer**** ** **fistfights).**** ** **So i**** ** **f you want**** ** **a**** ** **proper Monochrome**** ** **story**** ** **, look elsewhere (I**** ** **personally**** ** **recommend**** ** _ **"**_** ** _ **I**_** ** _ **thought, Maybe You'd Mean It"**_** ** **by SumDumMuffin).****

 ** **Hope you stick around to the end**** ** **anyway**** ** **!**** ** **Also, feel free to drop a review!****

 ** **^u^****


	2. A Gift For You

**A** **uthor's** **N** **ote** **:** ** **T**** **ime for more medieval** **fantasy** **cuteness :3**

* * *

…

… _ …

…

Weiss had survived many terrible events in her life, most of which had been mercifully forgotten. She'd lived through the horror of Mt. Glenn, made it through more than one attack by bandits on the side of the road, and even choked down Ruby's homemade chicken and eggplant soup (though Ruby had been forbidden from cooking ever since and eggplant was now forbidden inside the house… poor Summer).

In all of this, the former noblewoman had come out alive and mostly unscathed. Her iron will allowed her to take what she'd learned and become stronger for it.

 _Now,_ however…

"Come on, Weiss! You know Mom doesn't ask you for _that_ much! Why can't you just let her sleep in your room?" Ruby whined for the third time in less than an hour.

Ice-blue eyes glared daggers at the redhead. "Like I already _told_ you… if that _thing_ ever comes into this room, only _one_ of us will walk out of here alive."

Ruby's bottom lip nearly reached the floor of their modest, three-room dwelling. From behind Ruby, the cat-eared creature gave a whimper, not daring to meet Weiss' hateful gaze.

 _"You're_ the one who wants it to stay here, aren't you? What's the problem with letting it sleep with _you?"_

Against all reason, that bottom lip actually fell _lower._ "Because… because Mom said… if I want her to sleep with me, I have to… _I have to sell my bottle collectio_ _ooooo_ _n!"_

Weiss had to fight the urge to fall over due to the other girl's stupidity.

"Ruby… we both know how your Mom is. I can assure you she only said that so you would try harder to convince _me_ to give in. She wouldn't make you give up your collection for something like this."

Ruby sniffled, wiping her nose on her hands. She was close to tears. That bottle collection was her only real pride and joy, as sad as that sounded.

"In fact… I'll bet you five silver pieces that was her _actual_ reason."

That got the redhead to smile, at least. She wiped her eyes with her cloak, then met Weiss' gaze with a firm resolve and declared, "I'll take that bet."

They shook hands in an exaggerated motion, something they'd done a few times in the past; just one of many quirks the adopted sisters were able to share.

"Now go on, get out of here," Weiss shooed Ruby away briskly. "We both still have chores to do, right?"

"But… what about Blake…?"

"Don't push your luck. It can share your bed."

"She's not an _IT_ , Weiss."

"I don't care what you want to call it… but it just ran out the door."

"Wha- _Blake! Wait!"_ Her well-worn boots thumped away as Ruby ran after her delinquent charge. No doubt the thing went outside to make dirt in their yard. Nasty, foul, loathsome… _F_ _aunus._

Even as late in the day as it was, Weiss still had a one or two chores to finish around the house. Summer was due back from her job any minute and they would all sit down for a meal before bed. It was a normal routine for a normal day. Comfortable. Weiss had found a good life with the Rose women, despite the lack of decent money and the comforts it could buy.

Granted, she didn't remember much of her life as a noble – _that_ ended while she was still quite young. She knew who to blame, too; the Faunus. All of her problems seemed to lead back to the damn Faunus.

And now they had one _living_ with them. A child; it had been with them for only a couple of days thus far, but Weiss was still convinced she would awake one day to find everyone else dead in their beds.

Pushing those dark thoughts to the back of her mind, Weiss got to work on supper. It was an easy task; the former Schnee had a knack for cooking and easy access to fresh herbs from a private garden she tended in the back yard. All three women agreed Weiss' stew was the best, so she was often put on cooking duty.

Cooking also allowed her to focus her entire mind on one job with no distractions. Vegetables were sliced, water was boiled over the fire, meat was turned on a spit to roast evenly – everything was looking good. Venison was a perfect meat for stewing, and every part of the animal was put to use. None of them could afford to waste anything. And a good stew could go a long way.

"Mmm… that smells _wonderful!"_ Summer cheered as she walked in and hung her cloak next to the door.

"It's nearly ready," Weiss said over her shoulder.

"Is Ruby done with the horses yet?"

"If not, she won't be too much longer. Last I saw she was chasing after the beast…"

"When will you call her by her _name_ , you stubborn child?"

"When it's chained up outside… where it _belongs."_

Summer could only give an irritated growl. Weiss knew she'd been much more stubborn than normal with a Faunus in the house, but it seemed to be getting worse of late. It was clear the older woman was almost out of patience.

But then she smiled and said, "Well… _she_ seems to have taken a shine to _you."_

At that moment, Weiss felt a tingle on the back of her neck. She rapidly turned to the nearby window and spotted a pair of black cat ears darting away.

It had seen her cooking. It was _watching_ her. Weiss couldn't suppress a wave of goosebumps rippling over her entire body.

How many times a day had that creature simply watched her like that? How much did it know about her daily routine? Weiss normally didn't carry her personal dagger around with her in the house, but that was soon to change; she wasn't feeling very safe anymore.

Just what was that… _thing_ thinking?

…

… _ …

… _ … _ …

 _Chapter 2:  
A Gift For You_

… _ … _ …

… _ …

…

Summer Rose worked at a cotton plantation in the next town over, several miles to the west, so she was gone pretty much the entire day, every day. This left Weiss and Ruby alone to take care of the horses, the house itself, and the land around it. There wasn't much, but it was enough to keep the two of them busy most of the day.

Ruby was in charge of tending to the horses and making the occasional trip to the market for food; she and Weiss alternated those trips, mostly to keep the redhead from wasting the finances on sweets. Other than that Ruby did very little, at least as far as Weiss could tell. Ruby often vanished for hours on end after her chores were done – there was a small patch of forest nearby, so that was likely where she went. Weiss never bothered to find out.

There were rare days where Summer took both of them with her to get more work done, and as a result Weiss was familiar with what Summer's job specifically entailed; she actually worked with numerous dyes of varying quality, running long spools of cotton and linen fabric through vats of bright colors and ensuring they absorbed every drop. This resulted in most of the kingdom's raw material that ended up as dresses and gowns for the nobility of Vale. It was a very lucrative market, and Summer was one of their best workers.

Weiss also had her own job, but she kept quiet about it. Once a week, the white-haired girl would sneak into town on her own and work as a serving girl at the largest tavern this side of Oum River. It didn't pay very well, but the owner loved having her there. And it was something to do.

All in all, life was nice and simple. No family conspiracies, no drama.

Throwing a Faunus child into that mix would surely ruin everything.

…  
…

Five days after Blake came to live with them, Weiss started finding small flowers next to her bed. They were little more than weeds, but they appeared every day, once each day, if she left her room for even a few minutes.

And she knew _exactly_ where they were coming from.

"Oh don't be so grumpy," Summer said as Weiss brought forth her complaint. "She's just trying to be friendly. They're flowers. _G_ _ifts."_

"What they _are_ is trash," Weiss shot back. "I'll have to dump them outside before they return to dirt."

"You don't have to be so mean about it…" the woman pouted.

Day after day, without fail, the tiny flowers kept appearing. Weiss eventually found herself seeking out the Faunus child, if only to determine when it was getting into her room. As a result, she began to notice a few things about it she would've otherwise ignored.

'Blake' did not speak when they first met it, but after the first week with them it started to use human words. Summer and Ruby spared nothing in their efforts to teach it to speak. Every time it learned a new word, both it and the women hopped around in pure, idiotic glee. Sigh.

It was also quite keen to learn how to tend to the horses. Ruby, naturally, was more than happy to show it every facet of her job – even letting it brush the smelly things once. Weiss never cared for _those_ particular beasts, but she found herself worrying for them; no one knew what a Faunus would do, after all.

In everything she saw, the creature never showed it's true colors; it never got angry, never snarled, and never tried to harm anyone or anything.

But Weiss would not be fooled.

She would _not._

…  
…

Weiss was normally eager to get to her job, but today was the first day she got to go since the Faunus came to live with them. She'd been forced to take more time off than she wanted because of the creature, so she practically _ran_ there today.

 _Anywhere_ without that beast was practically heaven.

Junior's combination inn and tavern, called _The Bees Knees,_ was the busiest place in town – travelers from all over the region stopped in for a bite to eat or a place to lay their heads. All the time. As far as Weiss knew, Junior never had any sort of 'busy' season; it was always packed in there.

As she slipped in the back door, the twins rushed by with plates of food and muttered something about rough guests. _Again? Weren't they in here last time?_ Weiss swallowed her litany of insults and changed into her serving uniform. She then put on a smile that was rather well-known around these parts and got to work.

Her shift went by rapidly; Weiss barely registered how much time had passed before Junior was sending her home for the night. Disappointing, as the former noble wanted to _enjoy_ her time away from the house. At least he paid her well on really busy nights like this; even after buying some extra food on her way back home, Weiss still had some coin left over. That would end up in her savings box as soon as she got back. Her armor needed some fixing up at the town blacksmith. And a helmet, can't forget that.

Ruby and Summer's home sat in the middle of a pitiful spit of land outside of town, and the mile-long road connecting them was rocky and rough, causing no small amount of sprained ankles for travelers over the years. Weiss didn't care about that tonight; she practically _skipped_ along the path, she was in such good spirits. This sort of mood was exceedingly rare; she felt as though life was finally starting to treat her fairly. For just a while, she forgot all about her troubles.

But then she reached the front door… and remembered them all over again _._

Blake.

It was crouched a few feet away from the door, behind a corner of the small structure. Staring at Weiss with those great golden eyes. Waiting. Did Faunus simply not sleep?

Weiss lost her good mood in an instant, then took a heavy step towards the beast and tried to growl in a threatening way. It must have worked, since the thing darted away, a puff of dried grass left in its wake. She chuckled to herself as she went on inside.

It wouldn't be long before the wretched thing learned its place. Surely.

If only the other women would quit doting on it, _maybe_ it would start to understand. Maybe then it would know how much Weiss hated it.

That night, Weiss barred her bedroom door again. And she would continue to do so until it finally left the house.

Or until one of them was dead.

…

… _ …

…

"Mama Ruby? Why does Weiss not like me?"

"Aw, Blake… I… I'm not too sure, really. I know she hates all Faunus, but nobody ever told me why."

"Is it cuz I'm smelly?"

"No, silly… _I_ smell worse than you do!"

"Hee hee. You smell like horse poo-poo, Mama Ruby!"

"I'm not THAT bad, you silly girl!"

"Horse poo! Horse poo! Horse poo!"

"Okay, that's it… _com'ere!"_

"Kya!"

*Loud, hysterical giggling*

" _Had enough?"_

*Giggling continues*

 **BAM!**

"Eep!"

" _Both of you demons knock it off! Some of us are trying to SLEEP!"_

"… … …Sorry Weiss…"

"… … …Sorry…"

…

… _ …

…

Those little weeds finally stopped appearing next to Weiss' bed after that outburst. Hopefully this meant the little beast had finally learned something. Hopefully she would be left alone at last.

Yeah, right.

One morning, just a few days later, Weiss found another gift next to her bed – this time it was a sprig of peppermint.

From Weiss' herb garden. There was no mistaking it.

Red-hot rage bubbled up within her at the idea of her one sanctuary being desecrated by the beast. _How DARE she… follow me… even THERE?!_

Weiss grabbed the plant in anger, intending to at least store it properly in the kitchen before she took up a weapon and started hunting down the animal, but she never made it that far. A single whiff of the pungent leaf had caught in her nose.

Inexplicably, that aroma cut her anger clean in half… and what was left of it was rapidly draining away.

What…?

It was just a sprig of peppermint… but when she brought it up to her nose and took a deep breath, her remaining anger vanished like the morning mist.

"…"

What… the _hell…_ _d_ id that creature _do_ …?

Weiss stared at the piece of greenery in her hands, trying to work out the mysteries of the universe through it. She wanted nothing more than to get rid of it. And to treasure it. To burn it. And to keep it forever.

All of a sudden she felt like there was another person fighting for control over her body. Someone she didn't like. What was next… would she start _hugging_ the Faunus child?

 _Ack_.

She would rather go deep-sea diving to catch a giant squid. Naked. With her bare hands.

Hell, she'd even accept Lord Neptune's hand in marriage before she would even bring herself to _touch_ that filthy creature. Unthinkable.

Weiss lost track of time as she stood there arguing with herself, her empty hand balled tightly into a fist, her mind trying to rip itself apart.

…  
…

Weiss had no idea that the child in question was watching her from the nearby window again. Blake was trying to figure out what the taller girl was thinking right then… not to mention why her chest still hurt whenever she looked at that pretty white hair. Still so many mysteries.

All Weiss wanted at that moment was to be rid of the Faunus child forever.

All Blake wanted at that moment was to get closer to Weiss.

Before the week was done, only one of those wishes would be granted.

…

… _ …

…

* * *

 **A/N:** ** **Once again, I want to remind you**** ** **all**** ** **that my intention w**** ** **ith**** ** **Blake and Weiss**** ** **was**** ** **a sisterly love, nothing more. They just have to get past th**** ** **e**** ** **little**** ** **hurdle of**** **_**racism**_** ** **first.**** ** **Be sure to leave a review if you're so inclined!****

 **^u^**


	3. Just One Week (pt 1)

Evenings were always nice this time of year; crickets gave nightly serenades from the bushes near the creek, and every star in the heavens glittered like jewels in the crown of the Goddess. A cool breeze came by every so often, pushing out the warmer air of the day. There was even a faint mist lingering over the grass of the fields, lit in small clusters by swarms of torchbugs.

Weiss was close to being able to let go of the frustration of the workplace while walking home on a night like this.

She had reason to fume, of course; Junior may be a good innkeeper and a great cook, but he was no Guardsman. There was only one worker at _The Bees Knees_ who could fight at all, a cheerful ginger girl who doubled as an apprentice blacksmith, but even then it was a close call. Thankfully the drunken men who wanted to brawl simply changed their minds and left. They likely didn't relish the idea of fighting a girl; especially one who swung a warhammer like it was a dinner fork.

On the plus side, Junior always gave out hazard pay on nights like this. Good workers were too few in this part of the kingdom to risk losing, and the man had plenty of coin to spare if he felt he was in danger of losing his staff. There were certainly no complaints from those twin leeches who always stayed by his side, that was certain.

Bright moonlight shone down all around the ramshackle home as she approached. No sign of the Faunus tonight; _t_ _hat_ was good news at least. It usually sat outside waiting for her, ready and willing to ruin her mood. Hopefully it was asleep tonight. Or better yet, _gone._

As Weiss entered the house, she made sure to close the door as quietly as possible – coming home late after a shift in town always carried the risk of waking up her adopted family, and she had no intention of spoiling their sleep.

Before she reached her room, however, a piece of paper on the table caught her eye. It seemed to glow in the moonlight from the window, but that alone wasn't enough for her to read the words. She quickly lit the lantern and looked again; It was a letter from Summer. She always had such fine handwriting.

…

' _Dear_ _est_ _Weiss-_

' _I know_ _we_ _left rather suddenly, but I was offered a job today that pays better than anything I've done before! Enough gold to feed us for a month, easy! It's only a short-term stint so we don't all have to move to Haven, but I took Ruby with me for an extra pair of hands. That means you're in charge of at least half the chores until we get back, which shouldn't be more than a week at best. Blake can handle the other half._

' _And mark my words, young lady – if anything happens to Blake while we're gone, THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY._

' _I'll keep in touch._ _Love you!_

' _-Summer.'_

…

Weiss read the letter again. And again. She wanted nothing more than to wake up and realize this was all a bad dream… but the paper in her hands remained defiantly unchanged.

A whole week? Alone? With the beast…?

Goddess preserve her.

A slight movement in the dark drew Weiss' gaze to a nearby doorway; Blake was crouching in the shadows of Ruby's empty room, only the pale reflections of her golden cat-like eyes visible in the murk. And those eyes were staring directly into Weiss' soul.

Fear swept down her back. Would it strike here? Now? With no witnesses?

Maintaining eye contact with the beast, Weiss stood up and took the lantern with her. She slowly backed up, one step at a time, until she reached her own room… then she quickly shut the door and threw the bar into place before the thing could make its move and rip her throat out.

Whew. She leaned her head against the wood to catch her breath, but her nerves were already wound too tight to sleep.

This was hell. It had to be.

Not only was Weiss trapped with a Faunus child for a full week, but she was also honor-bound to ensure it did _not_ suffer any harm. Summer's choice of words made it clear that _nothing_ – accidental or otherwise – would be tolerated. That beast _had_ to make it through the week unscathed.

There was little doubt in Weiss' mind that she would not live that long. Her time was running short.

She heard a rustling noise just outside her door, but it wasn't very loud. More than likely the thing was just sitting there, perhaps listening into the room with its animal ears, waiting for the moment when Weiss would fall asleep to sneak in and finish the job.

After ensuring the wooden bar was securely in place, Weiss quietly undressed and climbed into bed before blowing out the lantern.

There was no noise to indicate the thing leaving her doorway. Was it intending to _trap_ her in here?

Eventually Weiss fell asleep, despite her effort of keeping one eye open. Her last thought before drifting off was: _You'll pay for this, Summer Rose._

…

… _ …

…

Why did Weiss avoid her so much?

No matter how hard Blake tried to think about it, she _could not_ come up with an answer to that question. Mama Ruby mentioned that Weiss hated all Faunus, but surely that was no reason to act like _this_ … was it?

As the crickets and other noisebugs made chirping sounds outside, Blake sat on the floor in front of Weiss' room. She leaned her head back against the wood of the door, that stubborn set of planks that denied her entry no matter how much she pushed. She could hear Weiss just beyond it, breathing regularly and not stirring. She'd fought to stay awake, but eventually the taller girl fell asleep.

If only Blake could do the same.

That tight, uncomfortable feeling in her chest had gotten worse over the past few days, and it was always the worst at night. Blake soon discovered that the only way to ease this pain was to put herself as close to Weiss as she could – sitting on the other side of the door worked – and it was enough to let her sleep, but only barely.

She briefly thought back to the first night she saw Weiss at that campsite, and was struck with a deep longing to run her fingers through that silky white hair again.

But Weiss wanted nothing to do with her.

And that hurt.

…

… _ …

… _ … _ …

 _Chapter 3:  
Just One Week (part 1)_

… _ … _ …

… _ …

…

Weiss locked herself in her room for the entirety of the first day. Her chores could wait.

She had books to read, some jerky and a dry loaf of bread to eat, and a bucket in the corner for… other things. No reason to come out. No need. Obviously this was not meant to last, but she was determined to keep away from the beast for as long as possible. If it still wanted to get at her, it would have a hell of a fight on its hands. Weiss would not go down quietly.

She listened for any noises that would indicate the creature lurking about, but heard very little throughout the day. It was likely doing a reasonable imitation of human activity by doing its chores, but there was no way to be sure without actually _going out there_ to see for herself.

All of that would have to wait for tomorrow, and her food supply would only last for today.

Once the sun had gone down far enough, Weiss lit the lantern that was still in the room with her for another few hours of light before turning in for sleep.

…

… _ …

…

Weiss didn't open her door at all yesterday, giving Blake cause to worry about the taller girl's health. Was she getting sick? Blake wanted to make her feel better, but that stupid door remained closed. Sometimes she wanted to break it down with the ax from outside, but she knew better than to destroy any part of the house. Mama Summer would 'have her hide,' as Mama Ruby put it once. Whatever that meant, it sounded painful.

Good thing the horses only needed minimal attention yesterday, since Blake _really_ didn't want to leave the house until she knew Weiss was okay. She was able to run out to the barn, refill their food troughs, and run back inside in only a few minutes. Not that it made a difference… still nothing from Weiss. Nothing happened through the night, either.

Blake was ready to stay there all day today if needed, but then out of nowhere, Weiss came out of the room! Blake barely held back a happy squeak when she saw that Weiss was physically fine. Oh, thank goodness.

Her burst of happy was brief; still wary of the taller girl's temperament, Blake ducked back into Mama Ruby's room and watched as Weiss set about making some food in the kitchen.

Blake wanted to be close enough to see what Weiss was actually doing – Mama Summer had yet to teach her anything about how to cook – but she didn't want Weiss any more mad at her than she already was. Whatever she was doing, Weiss was focusing on it with all her might. Normally she would look over every few minutes and give Blake a dirty look, but she barely flinched away from her work today. She must be hungry, too.

Blake's tummy growled lightly as she remembered that she hadn't had anything to eat since yesterday morning. She briefly considered going out and hunting for mice like she used to, but then decided that Mama Summer and Mama Ruby would be worried about her when they found out what she was doing. She didn't want them to be worried, but she was still hungry…

A light _clack_ sound pulled her attention back to the kitchen as Blake saw Weiss placing a wooden bowl of …something… on the table in the Faunus' general direction. Her nose picked up the aroma of jerky and some vegetables.

Did Weiss… just give her food?

Blake gingerly walked over to the table and picked up the bowl, studied the contents for a few moments before blinking at Weiss, then tiptoed back to her spot by the door. She was fighting hard to keep from grinning like Mama Ruby always did, and it _was_ hard – this was the first time Weiss had ever done something nice for Blake. Heck, this was the first time she'd done _anything_ for Blake. She was almost happy enough to start purring.

Weiss simply chuffed at the scene before taking her own bowl of food back to her room and slamming the door shut. Blake clearly heard the big wooden bar being put in place again, a sound that caused her ears to droop.

Alone again.

Blake plodded back over and sat in front of the locked door, eating quietly and listening for any noises from the room beyond. Silently hoping that maybe… just maybe… Weiss would let her in.

At least the food was good, even if it was just leftovers.

Neither of them moved for the rest of the night.

…

… _ …

…

Like it or not, Weiss _did_ have chores to do. By the time the third day rolled around, she could no longer justify locking herself in her room. Things had to get done.

By some miracle, the horses were completely taken care of. Food, water, cleaning, fresh straw, everything was done. It was beyond Weiss' ability to comprehend that the Faunus could have done all of that by itself, but at least this meant she could leave the things alone. Ruby normally took care of the horses, anyway.

Sweeping and dusting were two of her other jobs, but it didn't take long before Weiss noticed that the former was already taken care of – the floors were practically _sparkling._ Another point to the beast, it seemed. A bit of a waste of time, though, as the rest of the house still needed dusting. And where did dust _fall?_ To the floor, of course. Stupid Faunus.

And seriously, _why_ did spiders work so hard to cover every single one of the ceiling corners with cobwebs? _Argh_. Weiss made a mental note to ask Junior if he knew any type of herbal formula that could repel pests, as she never saw any webs at the inn. It was easy to imagine some kind of brew that would make that little beast keep away from _her_. Weiss grinned as she pictured it.

By the time the sun reached the horizon, Weiss was shaking the last of the rugs outside the door when she spotted the Faunus child darting out of the house and around back. Those golden eyes didn't so much as glance at her.

Very suspicious.

It was true that Weiss hadn't been paying very much attention to the little beast today, but that was only because she liked the solitude that came with total focus on one's activities. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't seen the creature at all today. But now…

Being careful not to drag any fresh dirt in with her, Weiss entered the house and looked around with a careful, practiced eye. She knew where everything belonged and would instantly know if the beast had moved or taken anything. Nothing was amiss in the main part of the house, so Weiss peeked into her own room and quickly found what she was looking for – another 'gift.' This time it was a long bunch of little purple flowers on a single stem. Lavender.

Weiss picked up the gift with a sense of wonder. There were no lavender plants anywhere near the house, so how did…? Where did she get this?

Ice-blue eyes looked at nothing and blinked in surprise.

'She' …?

Where did _that_ come from?

Her hand trembled as it held the flower, but Weiss did not crush it. Instead she did something that she would spend the rest of the night pondering over and running through her head again and again, trying to understand just _why_ she did it.

Weiss took one of her spare blankets and set it on the floor outside her door before locking herself in.

Less than an hour later, Weiss heard the front door open and listened as tiny footfalls led right back to her door… but that was soon interrupted by a sharp gasp. Other noises of rustling and moving around told Weiss that the Faunus had indeed found the blanket.

Eventually, Weiss reasoned to herself that the creature had been sleeping by her door every night and would soon catch a cold. There was no way she could talk her way out of punishment if that happened. She only put the blanket out there to keep the thing from getting sick, nothing more.

That's all it was, just… self-preservation. Yeah.

As she drifted off, Weiss decided to figure out where that lavender came from tomorrow. It was possible there was a bush somewhere in the nearby woods, so she'd check there first. It would be good to know for sure; lavender would be a great plant to add to her garden.

A telltale whiff of the purple flower was the last thing she noticed before falling headlong into the land of dreams.

…

… _ …

…

_/_/_/_/_/

 _She ran. She was always running._

 _Tiny feet hit the dirt painfully, never allowed any shoes. Lungs ach_ _ _ed__ _for air that she couldn't suck in fast enough. Eyes burned with tears. Angry voices, humans all around her, shouting and cursing. Rocks whizzed by her ears. One hit her in the shoulder. Another struck her in the side of her head, cutting the skin._

 _She kept running._

 _Others were running next to her, others like her, but they started disappearing. Falling into blackness with cries of pain. Arrows stuck out of some of them. Swords from others. Fear. Anger. Terror._

 _She kept on running._

 _Voices faded, like lingering echoes. Rocks stopped flying. She was alone, but she kept running anyway. Through empty woods, past broken houses and broken roads. Cutting her feet on sharp rocks. Keep running, don't look back. Nowhere is safe. Run._

" _Do you want to come with me, little one?"_

 _She stopped, looking around in a panic. A human in white, calling out to her. Beckoning her. She ran, this time towards the open arms of her new Mama. Another human stood nearby, this one in red. Both called out to her, both smiling. She wept as she ran, happy that she could finally stop running. Ready to come home._

 _Still they beckoned. Still she ran… but she drew no closer. If anything, they seemed to be getting farther away with each step. She cried out, begging them to come back. Don't leave me!_

 _Sudden warmth, light, coming from everywhere. She looked around again and found the source – another human, this one with pretty white hair. She was kneeling, holding out something for her. Something… important._ _And light! Glorious light! Warmth, like the embrace of her mother. Peace._

 _She tried to come closer, but another version of the white-haired girl appeared with angry red eyes. Pointing a sword at her. Ready to use it. Blocking her way to the light._ _Darkness and red flowed off of this one, a miasma of evil. Hatred._

 _She wanted to run away_ _again_ _… but she_ _decided to_ _stay. She didn't want to leave the light, even if it killed her._

 _She was done running._

_/_/_/_/_/

…

Blake opened her eyes slowly, taking in the sunlight streaming through the window. She was still wrapped in that lovely blanket, which would explain why she slept so much longer than usual; she could still smell Weiss on it, a light, airy scent.

Last night was the first night she'd been able to sleep well in weeks. Strange dream, though… and it was fading fast as the day began. By the time Blake had some food for breakfast, she'd forgotten all about it.

Weiss had somehow left the house before Blake had even woken up, which was very surprising (how'd she get past the door?). Luckily Blake was able to follow her trail outside, leading to the discovery of Weiss roaming around in the woods for a few hours. She looked lost.

Blake briefly considered grabbing another of those long, purple flowers to put in Weiss' room, but soon decided against it. Like the sweet-smelling leaves from before, things like that seemed to work best when done only once. She didn't want to overdo it.

Still, the fact that Weiss was starting to return the gestures was a good sign. A very good sign. Blake was going to take very good care of that blanket.

There were hardly any chores left to do today, so Blake kept busy by following Weiss around and watching her do… Weiss things. More food was fixed that evening and Blake was treated to another bowl of Weiss' cooking, this time something that smelled faintly of fish. She drooled a bit as she smelled the meat, unable to help herself. Fish was one of those meats that she could never get a hold of in the wild, and she was never brave enough to steal any from human towns. She'd always wanted to try some for herself.

Before she took her own meal into her room, Weiss looked in the pantry and sighed out loud. "Looks like I'll have to go into town tomorrow," she said quietly. "Almost out of meat."

As Blake watched, Weiss turned and locked eyes with her for a full second before going into her room and putting the bar in place once again.

"…"

Well that was strange. Was the taller girl stating her intentions out loud to make sure Blake knew what she was up to? That meant that she wanted Blake to go with her… right? Either that or she simply wanted her to know where she was going when she disappeared tomorrow. Hard to be sure.

Blake didn't want to be left behind, so she decided she would follow Weiss into town. Weiss might not like it, but Blake didn't have to stay _right next to her_. Weiss could settle for being tailed from a distance.

As she finished her meal, Blake also decided that if she could gather enough courage, she would ask Weiss to buy more fish. If not her, then Mama Summer when she and Mama Ruby got back.

Fish… was good. Really tasty. She ended up _licking_ the bowl clean.

Wrapping herself in the blanket, Blake dreamed of happy, jumping fishies.

…

… _ …

…

Her plan was probably going to fail, but Weiss was willing to try anything at this point. Desperation had set in.

As soon as the sun rose on this, the fifth day of her sentence, Weiss was out of bed and getting ready to head out the door. At first there was no noise from Blake, but after stomping around and slamming her dresser drawers, she clearly heard the sounds of frantic waking up just past the barred doorway.

So Blake _was_ planning to follow her. Good.

Weiss managed to hide her grin with ease on the way out, looking for all the world like a woman going into town to get a few days worth of food. _N_ _ot_ like someone who was up to no good. Blake could not be allowed see her doing anything strange; if she became suspicious now, it was all over.

 _It._ If _it_ became suspicious.

Weiss sighed as her inner battle continued.

Somehow, despite her efforts to prevent it, that creature had managed to worm its way onto Weiss' good side. Even though all it did was sit outside Weiss' door every night and watch her from a safe distance every day, Weiss found herself wondering just what was going through that cat-eared head. And that worried her.

This madness had to stop by any means necessary. Punishment be _damned_.

After thinking about it all night, Weiss had the answer. Or at least, a reasonable excuse; if she could manage to lose Blake in town, then the worst she'd have to face was accusations of negligence. Not _intentional_ harm. She could live with that.

Weiss kept a steady pace heading down the old gravel road. She allowed herself a grin as she heard the Faunus child keeping up with her, but it was going through the grass instead of taking the road. Stupid thing had no idea.

No clouds marred the sky this morning, and a lovely cool breeze made it even better; it seemed like the warmer part of the year was finally on its way out. Weiss normally took about half an hour to reach town on foot, but she felt like she could make it in half that time today.

It helped that there was a chance, however slight, that she would come home alone. No more Faunus child. If worse came to worse, Weiss _could_ find a Guardsman and have the beast arrested or… killed…

Oddly, that thought produced a strange pricking sensation in her chest.

Weiss shook her head and walked on.

…

 **[ Continued in next chapter ]**


	4. Just One Week (pt 2)

It seemed like a good idea at the time: Make sure the beast followed her into town, then either shake it off her trail and run or get it arrested somehow. Only once she reached the market did Weiss start to realize how many details she might have forgotten to take into consideration.

For one thing, Blake was still a Faunus – this meant there was no telling what it would do if it panicked. Someone innocent might actually get hurt before this was over. Weiss also forgot that the thing was perfectly capable of finding her way – _its_ way – back home with no issue. It _was_ able to survive in the wild before the Rose women took it in, after all.

In short, this was a terrible plan. But Weiss couldn't afford to back out now.

As she browsed the stands along the outer edge of the market, Weiss repeatedly glanced behind her to keep an eye on the Faunus child. Blake kept herself half-hidden behind a nearby tree, probably wondering if she could climb it to get a better view. Ah, yet another detail Weiss forgot about; of _course_ cats could climb trees.

One glance too many and Weiss' eyes locked with Blake's. She could see her little body tense up, ready to move. _Curses… she's onto me._

In a blind panic, Weiss quickly ducked into the crowd. Hopefully Blake would be too scared of humans to follow.

She just… _had_ to get away from her. From _it._

…

… _ …

… _ … _ …

 _Chapter 4:  
Just One Week (part 2)_

… _ … _ …

… _ …

…

Weiss was up to something.

Blake could smell it when someone was hiding something. Weiss had that smell all morning. Blake really didn't want to think the taller girl was planning anything bad, since they seemed to be getting along recently. True, Weiss still wouldn't talk to her… or smile at her… or let her into the room… but they _were_ doing better, right?

Then they reached town, and Blake remembered the old fear.

Humans. Dozens of them. _Hundreds._

Blake fought the rising panic as best she could, but she couldn't stop her ears from laying flat against her head in dismay. How Weiss could walk around so many strangers and not even flinch was quite a mystery. And a little awe-inspiring. If only _she_ could be that brave.

Blake considered climbing the tree right next to her, but decided against it – that kind of thing would attract attention. Humans were scary enough when they _weren't_ looking at her.

Minutes passed as Weiss looked at the stuff in the stands, every now and again looking back at her. Blake simply watched. And waited. So far it didn't look like Weiss was ready to head deeper into the crowds yet.

But then… a look of fear. A change of body language. All at once, Weiss darted into the mass of people and vanished.

Blake's heart sank.

Did Weiss… just leave her behind? Alone?

… … …

… … …Not again…

Please, dear gods _not again…!_

Blake swallowed her terror and ran forward with a fearful whine, only sparing enough attention to keep from running into anybody; she kept her eyes locked onto the spot where Weiss vanished, hoping to follow that pretty white hair moving through the crowd. Hoping against hope the taller girl _didn't_ just run away and leave her behind.

Lots of earthy colors and fabrics, lots of gray and brown and black hair… but no Weiss.

Gone.

Blake's heart shattered in her chest. Her vision blurred as the tears came. Her throat clenched so tight that she could only make pitiful mewling noises.

Gone.

… _Why? …Why does everybody keep running away? Is Blake a bad girl? Did she do something wrong?_

 _Is that… why Mama disappeared?_

 _Why… does_ _ _everyone__ _… keep_ _ _leaving…?__

Thoughts faded to white noise as Blake turned to go home, her feet dragging in the dirt and her heart in tiny fragments. Her tears continued flowing unabated. She didn't bother holding back the sobs.

…

… _ …

…

Weiss didn't get very far, to be honest. Just after ducking into the market crowd, she quickly turned and hid around a corner. This gave her a perfect view as the Faunus child burst in and looked around in a growing panic.

Only Weiss' stubborn pride kept her quiet as Blake started weeping, her little body trembling. Only her newfound guilt kept her from feeling anything but pure self-loathing as Blake plodded back down the road, her face dripping with tears.

Guilt.

T _hat_ was the odd pricking sensation in her chest. There was no denying it anymore. Not to mention the fact that the prick had grown into a full-blown knife to the chest. Much more painful.

And yet… part of her still wanted this. Part of her still hated the Faunus enough to enact such cruelty on a child, even one who didn't deserve it.

 _All_ _Faunus_ _deserve to suffer._

 _Blake didn't deserve that. She's still a child._

 _Blake is a_ _Faunus._ _They deserve everything they get._

 _Blake is innocent._

 _Blake is a monster_.

 _She's just a child!_

 _Even monsters start out small… give it enough time and it will find a way to kill you first._

 _Can monsters cry real tears?_

 _Of course… and so can crocodiles._

 _Blake has only ever been nice to me…_

 _To get around your defenses!_

 _She treats the horses well…_

 _Likely because it can't easily kill them._

 _I… I just can't…_

"And just _what_ are you doing, Ice Queen?" A gruff, grating voice pulled Weiss' attention away from her complete mental breakdown. Crimson red eyes looking at her with concern. Shaggy black hair and a stubble beard. A familiar black cloak.

And there was only one man in the kingdom who _dared_ call her that name.

"Qrow…?"

Weiss started to ask what he was doing here, but suddenly stumbled forward. Everything was starting to spin.

Qrow darted over and caught her, muttering, "You don't look so good. Come on, let's get out of the sun for a bit."

…  
…

Qrow Branwen was no stranger to the Rose women, nor to Weiss herself. Like Summer, Qrow had once been on good terms with the Schnee family. He even worked as a guard at the estate for a while. He left that position about 3 months before the Faunus came.

It took him the better part of a year to forgive himself for abandoning them. He knew he could have stopped the Faunus if he'd been there; few warriors could best a Huntsman in open combat, even a retired one.

At Weiss' insistence, they did _not_ head for the inn (Junior obviously would have recognized her and the twins would have spread the word all over town before sunset). Instead they went to a much smaller tavern on the edge of town. Cheaper, too. And Qrow wanted his booze.

A glass of water helped calm Weiss' lurching stomach, and Qrow ordered a few mugs of ale for them to partake. Weiss didn't normally drink, but after what just happened she needed a pick-me-up.

"So… what's on your mind?" Qrow asked as Weiss drained her large mug in a single, impressive chug. He made a pleased sound as she put it back down on the counter. She wiped her mouth with one hand, then stared into empty space.

"…I think I've done something… bad. Really bad."

"You _think_ _y_ _ou did_ _…?"_

"And…" Weiss suppressed a belch as she added, "…I don't know how to fix it."

 _Yes, you do._ _P_ _lant_ _a dagger_ _in its face._

 _SHUT UP!_

"In case you forgot, kid… back when everything went down, that was exactly how I felt." Qrow took a swig of his own glass as he said, "I was sure that mess was all my fault, and I was convinced _I_ had to fix it. And after putting three taverns out of business, do you know what I learned?"

Weiss blinked, waiting for the answer.

"Some things can't be fixed."

 _He's clearly never owned a dog._

Weiss gave her head a hard shake, then sighed, "That's not good enough. Not this time. If I _don't_ fix it, Summer will probably kill me."

"Where _is_ she, anyway? Haven't seen her for a few days…"

"She didn't tell you? She and Ruby went to Haven last week for some job. Left me alone with… uh…"

Qrow simply stared, waiting for the rest of the information.

 _T_ _hat's it! You can t_ _ell him about the beast! He can go kill it for you!_

 _He most certainly will NOT!_

 _What's the matter? This solves_ _all your_ _problem_ _s_ _!_ _ _Let him vent his anger and be__ _rid of another piece of_ _Faunus_ _filth! Everybody wins!_

 _But what about Summer? And Ruby?_

 _What ABOUT them?_

 _If Blake is gone when they get back, what happens to me?_

… _Isn't it obvious?_

 _I'd rather not be cast out and left on my own, if you don't mind._

 _Of course not. That's why you'll go_ _back_ _to Haven… where there's already someone waiting for you._

 _What?_

 _Someone rich. Someone handsome. Someone… who likes to jump off his own ships_ _for fun_ _._

 _NO! ! ! NO NO NO!_

Weiss' hand suddenly shot over and grabbed Qrow's glass. She rapidly sucked down what was left, wincing as it burned the entire way. Wow, that was strong stuff.

But these were thoughts she _did not_ _need_ , dammit!

"Uhh… was it something I said?"

That last drink had the intended effect of silencing that irritating voice in her head while leaving her lucid enough to keep talking… and talk she did. Weiss had a lot to get off her chest. Qrow hadn't been brought up to speed yet regarding Blake and the fact that the Rose women had taken her in, so Weiss made sure to fill him in on the whole story. It took nearly an hour and another mug of ale.

She was also careful to refer to Blake as a 'she' during her story. Not an 'it.'

…  
…

"Well… you know I'm not a fan of the Faunus, but based on the fact that Summer seems taken with her, I'm willing to withhold my own judgment until I actually _meet_ this Blake. As for your problem… I think I have an idea."

"I'm listening…"

"Girls like gifts, right? Get her something nice as an apology. Something that tells her you're serious. Something… real."

"Like what?"

"Hey, whoa… I can't tell you how to do _everything._ That part's all on you, Princess."

"But I have no idea what she likes…"

"How _you_ express yourself is the point of the gift, even I know that. I have a feeling she'll like anything you give her, so long as you mean it."

"I suppose so. By the way… what _are_ you doing out here? Don't you still live up in the city?"

"Ehh… my niece lives out here and she got roughed up a few weeks back, so I'm sticking around town to take care of her. Some bastard broke a bunch of her ribs and left one of her legs paralyzed for a week. Not that it stopped her from drinking me under the table the other day…"

"I hope you find whoever did it. She sounds like a lot of fun."

"Heh, yeah… she's a real _firecracker."_

"…Well, I guess I'd better start looking for a gift."

"Again, the point is what you choose, but if I may offer a small suggestion… I noticed a cart on the north side of town with a few trinkets for sale."

"As good a start as any. Thanks, Qrow."

"Say hi to Summer for me."

…  
…

Weiss forgot all about buying food after that. Most of the rest of the day was spent trying to walk off those drinks. That ale wasn't too bad, but whatever Qrow ordered seemed to linger in her system. She didn't want to stagger all the way home, thank you very much. Hiccups were bad enough.

On the other hand, she _did_ find what she was looking for. It wasn't anything to do with color or size… she just _knew_ this was the right thing. Simply holding it was enough to ease the pain in her chest. If this didn't help her situation, nothing would.

At least, that's what she thought at the time.

As she walked along the gravel road in the fading daylight, Weiss was gripped with a new, unwelcome feeling – doubt. Who knew if Blake even bothered to come home at all? Who could know what Weiss' little stunt had really cost them?

And would Blake forgive her, even if she'd stayed? Had Weiss ruined her chance at repairing their relationship for all time?

"…"

Weiss waited for her inner voice to speak out again, to cry for all Faunus to die a horrible death… but nothing came. Good. Little bitch was getting annoying. She made a mental note to ask Qrow just what that drink was when she next saw him.

An owl gave a sharp hoot as Weiss approached the last tree before turning the corner and reaching the house. A few more steps… and she would know for sure.

Weiss found herself unable to move her feet any further.

Her frantic thoughts returned to Blake, remembering how the child always stayed in a separate room from her during the day. Never coming too close. Always watching. At first, Weiss was certain that Blake was waiting for a chance to strike… Thinking back, it was almost _too_ obvious. Blake simply wanted to see what she was doing. Simple, child-like curiosity.

Innocent. Just a child.

Weiss was such a damnable fool. Worse than a fool; even when Blake sat outside her door all night, she _dared_ not let the child in. A fool wouldn't have been so malicious.

Just a child.

At some point during the walk, less than an hour ago, Weiss had come to a decision: This had to stop. Not the agony she imagined herself to be in this morning, but the true pain she was inflicting on them both. No more pushing her away. No more meaningless hatred.

She fingered the gift in her pocket, took a deep breath… and stepped forward.

Radiant orange and yellow sunlight colored the cloudy sky as Weiss looked around the property, but there was no sign of Blake. Her heart sank as the realization came over her – the child had finally run off. Of course she did. Weiss couldn't blame her.

Then a sniffling sound pulled her attention towards the roof, just past the front edge of the house. Weiss carefully walked around the building, and soon found herself looking at a sight that was both a relief and completely heart-wrenching. Blake didn't run away after all – she was sitting atop the roof, staring at the sunset sky and weeping.

Weiss grimaced as another stab of guilt entered her chest. A few awkward moments passed before Weiss cleared her throat to get the child's attention.

Blake gave a squeak as she jumped, nearly falling off the roof in her panic, before darting over to the other side of the house. Moments later, a pair of cat-like ears and golden yellow eyes peered over the edge.

If she wasn't being stabbed by so many blades of guilt, Weiss would have chuckled at the display. Humor was not among her storm of emotions right now.

From where she stood at ground level, Weiss watched as the child had her own internal battle. Blake smiled and started to stand up, then ducked back down with a fearful glance, then looked up as though she wanted to say something. Goodness, the child was much more animated than usual. Neither girl said anything for several minutes as they stared at each other.

An image came to Weiss' mind – the day they first met the Faunus child, Summer and Ruby kneeling down, offering her a few scraps. Moving slowly, Weiss copied the motion as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the gift. An item she hoped would mend the gap she'd so stubbornly tried to put between them up until now.

It was a ribbon.

But not just _any_ ribbon – this was some of the finest silk to be found in the kingdom, comparable to the imports from Mistral itself! It was also dyed a deep, royal purple… possibly the most expensive color on the market. This was a ribbon fit for a queen.

 _How you express yourself is the point of the gift._

It wasn't about the money; this was about proving _to herself_ that Blake was worth the cost. She _wanted_ to give her this ribbon.

… _As long as you mean it._

Weiss wanted nothing more than to make this whole thing right. Hopefully that feeling would be made clear.

Blake watched as the taller girl knelt down with her gift and those golden eyes went wide, seemingly recognizing her posture. She vanished behind the roofline for a moment before hitting the ground behind the house, then scrambled around the side on her hands and knees.

It was just like that day, all over again. Only this time, it was Weiss' turn to offer a hand of kindness to the child.

They stared at each other for several minutes as the sunset quickly faded to the darkness of night. A concert of crickets started up from a nearby tree. A chill crept into the air. Still they stared.

Weiss' legs were starting to burn, but she stubbornly held fast.

Blake finally moved, inching forward while keeping a close eye on Weiss' hand. Watching for any sudden movement, no doubt. After an agonizing few minutes, the child reached out and took the ribbon, lightly running her fingers over it. Almost petting it.

"I'm sorry, Blake," Weiss said in a careful, controlled whisper. "I'm sorry for everything."

Blake's face remained unchanged, but her eyes now glimmered with tears. She clutched the ribbon to her chest as her breathing sped up. "You…" she gasped, "…came back…"

 _Stab._

"I'm so… so sorry. I won't run away again. I promise."

Blake squeezed her eyes shut, forcing the tears to fall to the dirt. Her breathing now came in ragged sobs. "Weiss… hates Faunus… Mama Ruby said so… Do you… _hate_ me?"

 _Stab!_

Weiss had to take a deep breath before she could respond, "I… I did. But I don't anymore."

Blake gave her a look of pure hope, bordering on the edge of happiness.

Weiss continued, "I took some time to think about things, and… I… I _don't_ hate you. I'm so sorry it took me this long to figure that out…"

Blake looked down at the ribbon in her hands, gently toying with it as her mind raced. She wasn't crying anymore, but she still seemed apprehensive. What was she thinking about?

Weiss added, "I know you're probably mad at me for pushing you away so much…"

"No! No, I…" Blake stammered a bit at her own outburst, then meekly said, "You have your reasons. I'm not mad. I've never been mad… just lonely."

 _Stab-stab-stabbity-stab-STAB!_

As the blades of guilt threatened to rip her apart, Weiss found a new and immense sense of relief just beneath the pain: Blake didn't hate her. She _didn't hate her._ Goddess be praised!

Now it was Weiss' turn to start crying. She watched as her arms lifted and spread all on their own as she beckoned the child in for a hug. Blake got the message immediately and almost tackled the former Schnee to the ground. She was weeping again, but these were tears of pure joy. More apologies tried to come out of Weiss' mouth, but they simply tumbled out onto the dirt as meaningless mutterings.

In that moment, Weiss felt like a completely different person. Gone was the angry, sullen girl who wished harm on anyone with an extra set of ears… now she was willingly embracing one. And she was not the least bit disgusted. Amazing. A miracle. A deep feeling of joy started to bubble up from the depths of Weiss' soul, so much so that she nearly started singing aloud.

Blake, on the other hand, was clutching Weiss like her life depended on it. Tiny hands that almost couldn't reach around Weiss' chest. A young face sniffling into her shoulder. Fuzzy cat ears that tickled her cheek.

Beneath the child's heavy breathing came a new sound, a deep rumbling from her chest. Purring.

Weiss smiled in spite of herself. She liked that sound.

…

… _ …

…

Tonight was the first night since Blake came to live with them that Weiss did not bar her bedroom door. There was no longer any need. Blake was finally welcome. Blake was finally _home._

She lay curled up in her blanket at the foot of Weiss' bed, careful not to move around too much and wake her up. Weiss had made it clear that she would share her bed only if Blake didn't disturb her rest. That would not be a problem – Blake was willing to do anything if it meant staying closer to Weiss.

Blake also found that she could not stop purring for some reason. Maybe she was just _too happy?_ Was that possible? Who knows? Who cares?

She purred while they grabbed a quick bite to eat together. She purred while Weiss tied the pretty ribbon in her hair. And she purred as they got into bed, wishing each other a good night for the first time ever.

Her purrs rumbled into the dark room, adding to the ambiance of the space. Pale moonlight flooded in from the window as a damp breeze quietly blew through, rustling her ribbon. All in all, a lovely evening.

…

Suddenly… the purring stopped.

Blake opened her eyes slowly, lifting her head to gaze out the window at the full moon. She felt… a stirring, like someone calling out to her from a great distance. Someone… from the past.

"… _Mama?"_

…

… _ …

…

* * *

 **Author's Note:** ** **And with that, it looks as though our heroines are on the road to mutual understanding and happiness, doesn't it? If only it were that simple. There are still a few problems looming on the horizon, as well as a few plot threads that**** ** **still**** ** **need tying up before I can call it quits.****

 ** **For those wondering, I actually added Qrow to the story**** ** _ **after**_** ** **reviewer**** ** **m**** ** **erendinoemiliano**** ** **mentioned hoping to see Qrow x Summer**** ** **in later chapters (he actually dropped this story's**** ** _ **first**_** ** **review and**** ****called the ship Flownorth)**** ** **. Since it sounded like fun, I threw it in there.**** ** **If there be any romance in this fic, it'll be with those two.****

 ** **Feel free to leave a review!****

 **^u^**


	5. A Lingering Unease

**(4/24 Update: Heavy revision of chapter 1, smaller revisions of chapters 2-5)**

 **Author's Note:** **O** **ur tale of t** **he** **conflicted teenager and the** **smol catgirl continues.**

* * *

…

… _ …

…

"Hey, Blake?"

"Hmm?"

"Come here for a minute… I want to try something with your ribbon."

"… … …What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to see if… I can get it… around your ears…"

"…?"

"There. How's that feel? Too tight?"

"No, it's okay. You sound funny, though."

"I realized this morning that you could use your ribbon to hide your Faunus ears. That way you could walk around town without attracting any attention."

"Oooh…!"

"It's like a human disguise!"

"What's a …diss-guys?"

"It's a… like a… it's when you dress up to look like s-someone else. Someone different."

"A diss-guys. Neat! You're so smart, Weiss!"

"Well, I… uh… d-don't mention it. Now come on, we need to get this place cleaned up for when Summer and Ruby get back."

"Oh-kay!"

…  
…

This was almost worse then outright shutting the girl away at all hours; at least then Blake _knew_ it was happening. Weiss wasn't trying to hide her intentions before now.

As the happy Faunus child set about cleaning the stables outside, Weiss stayed in the house and made an effort to calm her pounding heart. Blake didn't seem to notice her anxiety yet, and for that the former Schnee was grateful. Blake was even more loving and happy than Weiss could have imagined, which made her realization all the more painful.

Looking at those cat-like ears was making Weiss _physically ill._ Convincing the child to hide them was more for her own sake than for Blake's… and that disturbed her.

It started yesterday, the very morning after their reconciliation; Blake had snuggled right up to Weiss during the night, an act the older girl was easily willing to forgive, but then… those cat ears tickled her nose. And Weiss very nearly threw up in the bed.

After that came a tense morning; every time Blake came close, Weiss' stomach lurched harder and harder. It was always the ears. Looking at the girl's face had no ill effect – if anything it calmed her down – but as soon as she looked at those ears again, the nausea came back full force.

Using the ribbon to hide them was a stroke of genius, if she did say so herself.

But still… such a thing should not be having this effect on her anymore. She'd made peace with her past and with the Faunus, hadn't she? If nothing else, she'd certainly made peace with Blake; Weiss couldn't remember the last time she'd been this happy since Mt. Glenn.

So why… Why did she still feel this way?

Why did everything still feel so… _wrong?_

…

… _ …

… _ … _ …

 _Chapter 5:  
_ _A Lingering Unease_

… _ … _ …

… _ …

…

Weiss still hadn't put her finger on it by that evening, as she absently carried food to a few tables at _The Bees Knees._ Junior and the twins had taken note of her passive attitude, but let her work anyway. As a bonus, they even let her little 'friend' hang out in the kitchen – the ribbon disguise worked perfectly, as none of the workers would have knowingly allowed a Faunus to loiter on the property. Health codes, and the like.

Blake was more than happy to wear the ribbon if it meant she could come along with Weiss tonight. She didn't want to wait at the house by herself anymore. And she would be well fed – Nora had already snuck her two pieces of candy, and it had only been an hour into the shift.

Weiss had a lot on her mind as she waited on her tables.

Something strange was happening to her, of that Weiss was now certain. Her torrent of emotions the other night was intense, and thinking back on the time she'd spent with Blake gave her reason to smile… but for some reason, the thought of touching those ears again still drained away her joy.

And she did not understand _why_.

Blake herself was not the problem – Weiss was fully comfortable around the Faunus child now, especially while she wore the ribbon over her ears. It was like she was dealing with a fully human child rather than… a Faunus… oh.

Was that it? Did she still prefer the human to the Faunus, even subconsciously? Why? Blake was not a human with cat ears, she was a Faunus. That detail shouldn't make a difference anymore.

But it did. And _that_ was the problem.

"Um… excuse me, Miss? You've been standing really still for almost five minutes…"

Weiss nearly dropped everything she was holding as her mind was slammed back to reality. Awkward apologies were dropped instead, along with hefty refills of everyone's drinks. She managed to stay focused for a while longer before her thoughts tried to intrude again.

This time she tried to imagine how she'd treat Blake if the child was a true human – and the scenario that played out in her head was rather damning. She would have been just as jovial and happy as Ruby and Summer were when they found the Faunus all that time ago. There would have been no hatred at all. None.

She then tried to imagine what would happen if a full-grown Faunus walked through the door of _The Bees Knees_ right now… and was surprised to feel a surge of bloodlust beginning to rise in her gut.

She still hated Faunus. _Still_ , even after everything she'd been through with Blake.

 _That's exactly the point, isn't it? Everything I've been through… is BECAUSE of the Faunus._

 _This again? Just because they caused me pain in the past doesn't mean I have to keep hating on Blake. That's just wrong!_

 _Pain? PAIN?! They robbed me of my family! My life! Everything I was and would ever be! They deserve nothing less than total extinction!_

 _Not Blake._

… _Fine. Blake can stay. All the others have to die._

 _Do you ever shut up?_

"You keep standing around muttering to yourself and you're gonna get fired, Ice Queen," a gruff voice interrupted her inner argument once again.

Weiss finally gave a genuine smile as the tall man strolled in. "Hey, Qrow. There's an open table near the kitchen. Make yourself at home." That was the phrase Junior wanted his workers to use for every guest; helps them get comfortable, he said. "But try not to drink us out of business… we can't pay our taxes with IOUs."

"Hey, no promises Princess," the man smirked as he came through the door, then glanced behind him and added, "Between the two of us, we might drink this whole _town_ dry tonight. Isn't that right, firecracker?"

"Only if it's worth drinking," an eerily familiar voice responded from just past the door. Weiss felt herself grow cold as the speaker entered the tavern. "Most places around here just bottle their own piss."

Wild blonde hair tied in a rough ponytail… hard muscles and wide shoulders… startling lilac eyes… Even though her chest was swaddled in bandages, there was no mistaking the bandit leader that nearly sold them into slavery.

This was the 'firecracker'? She was Qrow's _niece?!_

Evidently the woman also knew exactly who she was looking at when her eyes finally rested on Weiss, as they widened to nearly three times their normal size. Qrow didn't miss the instant spike in tension as he looked between the two of them, confused.

Weiss must have gotten a scary look on her face just then, because the woman suddenly turned and began sprinting ferociously into the night. Qrow was only a beat behind her, calling out for her to wait.

…

… _ …

…

Blake happily gnawed on her third piece of candy tonight, relishing the sweetness of the treat. Nora, the girl who'd given it to her when no one was looking, was really funny and reminded Blake a little of Mama Ruby. Everyone here treated her nice, even the big scary man who everyone called… uh… Joo-near? Some strange name.

Weiss had warned her to keep the ribbon over her ears while they were out, and Blake was fine with that. Not only did it actually make her look like one of the humans, it somehow gave her an extra boost of bravery just by wearing it. She'd normally be hanging back and hiding behind boxes or something, but tonight… she felt like a whole new girl. Maybe the ribbon was magic? Maybe Weiss put a bravery spell on it? Just thinking about it made her want to purr.

But Weiss also told her not to purr around other humans, since most of them couldn't do that. Dang. It was hard _not_ to purr with such tasty candy to eat. Oh well.

As Blake sat in the back of the tavern eating her candy, her ears shifted beneath the ribbon – the fabric made it harder to hear, but her ears still picked up more than most humans could detect. She could follow a few conversations from the dining area outside, even with the doors shut. She could hear the occasional fox picking through the trash out back.

And every so often, ever since the other night, she'd hear a faint echo that sounded a lot like her Mama.

She had no idea where it was coming from, nor how far away it might be, but it seemed to be coming from somewhere to the north. Mama Summer had a small compass at home, so she knew which way north was.

As she sat thinking about the echo, another one reached her ears… and this time her stomach fell into her feet.

She heard her Mama again… but this time she was joined by the unmistakable voices of Mama Summer and Mama Ruby. They sounded scared. In pain.

Blake dropped her candy as she let out a frightened whine, her ears flattening against her head beneath her magic ribbon.

…

… _ …

…

Less than an hour later, Weiss stood on an empty corner beneath a street lantern. Qrow was with her, and somewhere nearby was the bandit woman, seemingly too scared to come out and speak. Weiss had just finished giving Qrow the grittier details of the attack (which had been skipped over during their previous talk).

"So you're telling me…" Qrow said with a clear note of suspicion, "…that my niece was the leader of a gang of bandits… that tried to sell you into slavery?"

Weiss nodded grimly. There was no way she'd forget the scene – slave collars in hand, all three of them bound up, bandits laughing evilly…

"And did I mention that I was secretly the King of Vacuo?" Qrow's face broke as he tried and failed to be sarcastic. "Come on, kiddo… there's no way that's what happened! I know my niece too well. She's many things, but she's _no_ bandit."

"I know what I saw," Weiss insisted.

"Then you're _blind,"_ came a sharp growl from behind the closest building. "My guys and I came to rescue you and suddenly _we're the bad guys?!"_

"Yang, come out here if you wanna talk," Qrow said tiredly.

Weiss' eyes narrowed, "What kind of name is 'Yang?'"

"She's my sister's kid. Raven married an immigrant from overseas… it's from his culture. It's _'traditional'_ or something."

'Yang' walked out into the dim light of the lantern with an angry look on her face that was directed right at the former Schnee. "Me and the guys are… _were_ hired soldiers. Mercenaries. We took on jobs for pay, but we had a code of honor. And we _never_ dealt with slaves. Hell, we've _freed_ slaves on a few occasions. I won't have you shame them like this."

Weiss crossed her arms, "Based on what I saw, you're full of dung."

"For heaven's sake…" Yang dropped her face in her hands and sighed, "I _explained everything_ before you went on your murder spree. I _told_ you what was going on!"

" _I don't speak that stupid language! I never have!"_

This was enough to knock the air out of Yang's argument. Lilac eyes suddenly narrowed as her mind began racing, one finger pointing at nothing as she started putting all the pieces together. A few quiet mutterings could be heard, but she was in her own world for a few minutes as both Qrow and Weiss watched and waited.

Finally she gave a quiet, menacing growl, "…He lied to me. _That son of a bitch lied to me!"_

Before Weiss could ask what the hell she was talking about, her attention was drawn to a series of quick footfalls coming their way. Qrow heard it too, instinctively reaching for his sword.

" _Weiiiiiiss!"_ came a small cry filled with fear.

"Blake?"

Weiss didn't hesitate and jogged forward to meet the child on the road, dropping to one knee and embracing her. Blake's little body was trembling with fear. Was someone chasing her? Weiss glanced down the road but saw no one coming after them.

"What is it? What's wrong?" she asked carefully. She ignored the sound of hushed conversation between Yang and Qrow from behind her – Blake was all that mattered right now. She needed to help this child calm down.

"I heard… I heard… I…" Blake sniffed and stuttered as she tried to catch her breath. Every time she breathed in she made a small mewling sound. "Mama Summer… and Mama Ruby… they were in pain… scared… I think they're in trouble…"

A rational mind would have dismissed this as a daydream. A normal person would have chuckled, held the girl tighter, and taken as long as needed to help her calm down. Reassure her that it wasn't real. But something in Blake's voice was enough to convince Weiss that this was no daydream. Her fear was very real.

They held each other for a few more moments, Blake slowly calming down in Weiss' arms, when careful footsteps signaled the arrival of company. "Well? Aren't you gonna introduce us?"

Weiss turned and adjusted her grip to let Blake see who Qrow and Yang were. Kind greetings were exchanged beneath the light of the street lamp.

"So if she's Blake…" Qrow started saying, pointing at Blake's ribbon, "…Heh, not bad. Perfect look for a little kid, too."

Yang said nothing, still fuming off to one side.

"So what was wrong? Someone chasing her?" Qrow asked gently.

Weiss hesitated, trying to decide how best to say it, "…She says she heard voices. Summer and Ruby. They sounded scared and in pain." Blake nodded wordlessly from next to her.

Even in the dim light, Qrow's face grew pale. "I've heard Faunus can hear things like that from miles away… so long as there's an emotional connection. Something to do with their magic." His voice grew quiet, filled with more tension than she'd ever heard from him before, "Weiss …Where did you say Summer's job this last week was again?"

"Haven. Why?"

Yang finally stepped up and spoke, her own voice filled with barely-controlled rage, "He hired us to ambush you guys on the road and bring you to him. He told us… that the two you were with, the redheads, were both slave traders, and that we needed to make them _think_ we were putting _them_ into slavery instead… hence why I had those collars… but I had my doubts when I didn't find any guild tattoos on the taller one…"

" _Who_ hired you?" Weiss asked with growing suspicion.

"When he suggested it, I actually thought it was _clever_ to speak in the northern language, and it made sense that you would know it, being a former noble and all… but now it all makes sense. We weren't hired to save you… we were hired to _kidnap_ you. I swear, if I'd known I would have never-"

" _WHO?!"_

"… … …Lord Nathan Vasilius."

At the sound of that name, Weiss felt the bloodlust rise up once again. It was the same as that day when she last summoned the Guardian of the Schnee Family, murdering what she now understood to be an innocent group of thugs rather than true bandits. It was close, _very_ close, to coming out right here and now.

He knew about the bandit attack… _because he ordered it._

"I think…" Qrow spoke up in the tense quiet that suddenly sprung up, "…you need to calm down, Princess. Getting mad _here_ won't help anything."

" _I'll kill him…"_ Weiss whispered ominously. Blake gave a whine from beside her.

"Get in line," he replied with a sour note in his voice. "If he did anything to Summer, I'll rip his head off myself. You and Blake get back to the house and get your things together. Yang and I will meet you at the north gate. We need to get to Haven _N_ _OW_ _."_

…

… _ …

…

* * *

 **A/** **N:** **H** **ey, look! Plot!**

 **I'll freely admit that this story continues to challenge me at every step. I know full well that I'll be revising this thing again and again until I'm satisfied, so I hope you'll bear with me til then. I think I'm a bit too much of a perfectionist for fanfic writing, but it's** **still** **more fun than** **it is** **work, so I'll keep going anyway. I still welcome reviews,** **btw** **.**

 **^u^**


	6. Echoes

**This chapter will include a lot of quick POV shifting.** **I'** **ve got the basic story l** **aid** **out in my head now, so getting the rest of this tale put u** **p** **should be far easier** **.** **Chapter 7 will feature the climax, and then I'll put an epilogue in chapter 8… along with a little bonus. ;)**

 **(** **As a side note, I decided to make 'Neptune' the nickname because it didn't fit as a real name in the setting I've put together. If you get lost with the Nathan-Neptune name swapping, then… sorry.)**

* * *

…

… _ …

…

She'd been to the place several times before, so Weiss already knew her way around the estate of Lord Nathan Vasilius. Qrow, however, had only been here one other time; that was all the excuse the blue haired man-child needed to give someone a grand tour of his place one more time.

"And here we have one of my favorite rooms," he said jovially as they entered a room with a massive oak dining table and vast windows overlooking the city of Haven. "As you can see, it allows a stunning view of the city while allowing me to freely stuff my face with all manner of delicacies."

"Yeah, it's… it's great…" Qrow sighed. He'd lost interest before they even started. Not that Weiss could blame him.

Lord Nathan's mood would not be soured, however, as he practically skipped down the hall on their way to the next room on the second floor. By Weiss' count, they were about half done with the house; it was a big place. His grand tours usually took up an entire hour due to both his extravagant descriptions and the sheer number of rooms to show off.

But Weiss was watching for other details today; signs of her family. Of Ruby and Summer Rose.

They _had_ to be in here somewhere. Neither she nor Qrow had found any trace of them in the rest of the city. And it would be several hours before they heard back from Yang to see how she and Blake had fared.

"Lord Nathan?" A feminine voice interrupted the man's ranting as they were introduced to the library, a place where the man could 'acquire the knowledge of the world while escaping his lordly duties' as he put it. "You still have a meeting with the Duke of Forefall in a few minutes, and… Lady Peché is here to see you _right now._ She's not happy about being ignored last week."

Weiss turned to regard the speaker, a woman she'd seen many times but never had the chance to speak with. Goodwitch was her name; an older woman with dusty blonde hair and intense green eyes who had somehow ended up running nearly every part of his business while Lord 'Neptune' jumped off his own ships for fun. A large part of her job was the running of his estate as Steward.

A groan, "Really? _Now?_ I have guests to entertain…"

Those green eyes somehow grew even harder. "I would not recommend sending her away again. She brought two of her personal guards along with her, and they were armed."

Lord Nathan didn't even bat an eye, sighing, "Very well, I'll see what she wants. In the meantime, would you be a dear and fetch some tea? Or maybe some wine? Yes, that's a better idea! I think we still have a bottle of Laguna '85 in the cellar, do we not?"

If Goodwitch was annoyed, she was remarkably good at hiding it. "We have three, actually. I'll have one brought up in a few minutes." She made some quick notes in a leather-bound notebook, then said, "Lady Peché is waiting in the lobby. If you please…"

Before he stepped out of the room, Lord Nathan gently took Weiss' hand in his own and declared, "Fret not, my love… I shall return to your side as soon as the duties of this world allow it. Until then, enjoy your time amidst the comforts of civilization."

Her stomach gave a lurch at the contact, but Weiss simply forced a smile until it, and he, went away.

She waited until the footsteps faded completely before giving a few dry heaves, then collapsed into one of the thickly cushioned chairs in the room. Qrow gave a chuckle. Weiss rubbed her forehead as she moaned, "Honestly, how can that man spew such a torrent of cheese with a straight face? Ugh…"

"His Steward obviously puts up with it pretty well."

"Goodwitch? I have a feeling she could watch two men disembowel each other and not even blink. There's steel in that woman."

"I'll make sure to watch my words around her, then."

Weiss sighed, then after a pause said, "…Did you find anything while we walked?"

Qrow's smile faded as he replied, "Not a damn thing. Though I did notice a set of stairs that led downward just off the main parlor. And it wouldn't have been the cellar; that kind of thing is normally right next to the kitchen."

"Well that's our only lead so far. This place is spotless – not even one strand of red hair to be found."

Qrow looked away and rubbed his hands together nervously. He'd brought his sword, but the rules of etiquette required him to leave it at the front door. No weapons in the house. Lord Nathan may be a scumbag, but he was still a proper noble. Weiss, on the other hand, was allowed to keep her dagger at her hip; deep down, she just knew she would have to use it before this was all over.

Summer and Ruby had been missing for nearly two weeks. Anything could have happened in that time. Weiss swallowed hard as her fear returned, haunting her mind with images of their potential torture and imprisonment.

Qrow noticed her darkening mood and said, "Hey… I know it's hard, but getting worked up right now won't be any help. I'm only one snide remark away from going on a rampage myself, but we gotta keep a lid on it."

"…I'm just worried."

"I know, kiddo. I am too. But to be honest, I _a_ _m_ looking forward to that drink they mentioned… assuming it's the real thing. A good '85 is hard to find these days."

…

… ___ …

… _ … _ …

 _Chapter 6:  
_ _Echoes_

… _ … _ …

… _ …

…

Yang had done a lot of thinking on the way here, and by now she'd come to a few conclusions.

First, she really wanted to smash one particular face into a bloody pulp. A face topped with blue hair. She had no doubt in her mind that the man had hired her and the guys to be disposable, and that was all the reason she needed to return the favor. With interest. He'd lied to them and now her companions, her friends, had ended up dead for it. There _would_ be retribution.

Second, Yang herself also had a lot to answer for when, not _if,_ she managed to find the two redheaded women. Yang knew she would have to work pretty hard to convince them of her innocence. As far as they knew, she was just a bandit – Weiss' opinion of their first encounter had made that clear. And finding the pair already dead was not an option. They _had_ to be alive.

And third… she really, _really_ wanted to pet Blake's kitty ears.

Yang squatted next to little Blake as the young Faunus cupped her hands around her extra ears, straining to hear… _whatever_ it was she was listening for. They had ended up in a cave of some kind, and by her best guess Yang assumed they were near the center of the city itself. And it wasn't an empty cave, either – they'd already passed a couple of lit braziers by now. What could a place like this be hiding?

"Farther in," Blake mumbled as she crept forward. Yang kept pace right behind her. They hadn't seen any guards yet, but both knew not to take any chances.

Yang said nothing, simply following the girl's lead. Searching the city had proved fruitless, but once they got close to this cave near the coast Blake went right in while muttering about hearing voices echoing from inside. Uncle Qrow had already told her to listen to the kid when she said stuff like that, so Yang had little choice but to follow and be ready to smash something. Her armored gauntlets were scratched up enough that they wouldn't glimmer in the dim light and give them away, but she still kept them shrouded. Yang silently adjusted them on her wrists and walked on.

She mostly kept quiet because… well… if she tried to speak, Yang knew she'd just say something stupid about Blake's ears. They were just so… fluffy. And fuzzy. And they looked so soft.

"I think they're just ahead and… what are you doing?" Blake said suddenly, and Yang was startled to find her hand outstretched and only inches away from the girl's cat-like ears. When did she even move?

"S-S-Sorry," Yang apologized as her face grew hot. "I just… wanted… I..."

Blake's golden eyes glittered in the dim light as she figured out what Yang was trying to say. Smart little thing. Blake nodded, "I don't mind," then leaned close.

Yang's gauntlets left her fingers uncovered, so she left them on while indulged herself. Blake's ears were so _soft!_ She couldn't stop herself from rubbing them over and over, not caring about how long she took.

Blake let slip a purr as she tried to say, "We need to… _mmm…_ keep going… I think they're just up ahead…"

"Ah. Okay, good," Yang sighed as she let go, giving the child a quick pat on the head for her trouble. "And, uh… thanks, I needed that."

Blake grinned, "You're as bad as Mama Ruby, you know that?"

…

… _ …

…

As the doors to the library opened, Weiss didn't even wait for their host to say one word before stating, "Qrow and I came to Haven to find Summer Rose and her daughter Ruby. I'm sorry we didn't say anything earlier, but do you happen to know where they are?"

Lord Nathan blinked, clearly caught off guard by the sudden question, before smiling, "As a matter of fact, I do. I confess, the job they were offered was from me – they just finished last night, in fact. I've put them up in my guest quarters downstairs. I could not possibly allow them to sleep in the abysmal inns in this town."

Out of the corner of her eye, Weiss saw Qrow grow tense. His hand reached for the sword that wasn't there.

"They're perfectly fine, of course. I know how much they mean to you, so I've seen to it that they receive all the comforts of home-"

"Can I see them? Now?"

A flash of annoyance crossed his face, then was gone a moment later. Weiss did not miss it. "If you are insistent," he sighed, "then I only ask that you give them a few minutes – I'm sure neither of them would want you to see them without first cleaning themselves up. I assure you, they are fine; I would not dare endanger the only family my true love has left."

Weiss and Qrow shared a quick look – and a wordless agreement – before Weiss replied, "Very well. But I will not wait for long."

"I understand," he nodded with relief before turning to give his Steward some instructions and walking back out.

Silence reigned in the room for several minutes after the doors closed. Qrow muttered, "…Did he just confess?"

"Hardly," Weiss scoffed. "I've known that man far longer than I'd care to admit, and while he's certainly a fool… he's not stupid."

Qrow exhaled loudly through his nostrils, "Then this is basically a trap… and we walked right into it."

"He _has_ always been after me," Weiss admitted. "So if he's finally tired of waiting, why not hold my family hostage? Wait for me to come rescue them?"

Lord Nathan chose that moment to burst in, all smiles, "Your friends are ready, my love. In fact, they seemed keen to see you. If you'll follow me, I'll show you the way."

"Could you give us just a moment?" Qrow stopped them and guided Weiss to a safe distance away. He leaned close to whisper, _"Are you sure about this? I know this guy is slime, but we really don't have anything to go on here. No real proof._ _If we're getting jumpy for no reason…_ _"_

" _He already slipped up,"_ Weiss answered, _"If he really_ had _spoken to them, they would have asked about Blake first._ _That's all the proof I need._ _"_

Qrow sighed deeply before muttering, _"You be careful, Weiss."_

She nodded before putting on a fake smile and turning back around to Lord Nathan, who also smiled as he led her out into the hall. She spotted Goodwitch leaving the much-anticipated bottle of wine in the library with Qrow as they left. Weiss was now alone with the blue haired lord.

Somehow, even in the middle of the afternoon, Weiss felt a chill run down her spine at the thought.

She was on her own now.

…

… _ …

…

In truth, Qrow was only _pretending_ to tune out the ramblings of Lord Nathan Vasilius. He was actually paying very close attention to the general floorplan and room layout of the house. As such, once he was left to his own devices, the former Huntsman knew exactly where to go.

There were no guards or patrols to evade, likely because of the financial issues the woman had mentioned, so Qrow made his way to Lord Nathan's personal study with alarming ease. No one noticed him at all.

Weiss was the one most likely to find the girls, and Qrow knew enough about her innate magical abilities to know that she was in no _real_ danger, so he set about searching for something else – proof of his niece's innocence. And if that was anywhere, it would be here.

Reading wasn't his strong suit, but Qrow knew enough of the important words to recognize Yang's name and physical description. He found a few papers with these and carefully gathered them up. He was ready to walk straight into Oz's bedroom and present his case whether or not the old man was ready to listen. Or even awake. First thing, however, was to make sure Weiss was okay.

Before he got that far, a few more papers caught his eye – he recognized Summer's name on one. Without thinking, he grabbed it too.

"I'm afraid my lord doesn't hide any alcohol in _there,"_ a dry voice said from the doorway. "You'll want to check the hidden drawer over in the corner."

Qrow looked up slowly, already dreading what he'd find. Goodwitch stood calmly staring at him as she slowly closed the door behind her, leaving the two of them alone in the study. Those green eyes shone like marbles. She did not look pleased.

"Do you have any idea what this guy's been doing?" Qrow tried to shift the talking to Lord Nathan in an attempt to get this scary woman on his side. "Your boss almost got my niece killed _and_ kidnapped a few people!" He knew they didn't have proof of that part yet, but he was getting desperate.

"You'd be surprised at what I'm aware of," Goodwitch said icily as she pushed her glasses up with one finger.

Qrow felt himself grow cold as he watched her reach for a hidden knife behind her back. He suddenly felt very naked without his weapon.

Her voice carried no emotion as the Steward said, "I am under special orders. I can't let you take those papers out of here."

…

… _ …

…

Qrow was right about those stairs off the parlor – they didn't go to a cellar. Instead, they just went down and down… and down… until Weiss began looking for the spirits of the underworld to float on by.

"Somewhat deep for guest quarters, aren't they?" She tried to break the silence, but Lord Nathan didn't bother looking back. His good mood finally seemed to have given out.

Torch sconces kept the staircase brightly lit, but once they reached the bottom he grabbed one of the torches and led them into pure darkness. Weiss felt the moisture and heard the unmistakable sounds of a cave, likely some kind of tunnel that ran under the city itself.

Taking a chance, Weiss stopped walking.

"I was not lying when I said your friends were down here," Lord Nathan said without even a glace behind him. "But their well-being depends entirely on your cooperation. Do keep up… _my love."_

Something in his words sent another chill down her spine, forcing Weiss to keep walking. Her hand was kept firmly on the handle of her dagger. Though it might not matter – there was no telling how well-prepared this man was. No telling what was waiting for them at the end of the tunnel.

Once they got there, Weiss was more confused than concerned.

Nearly a dozen large braziers lit a massive cavern of damp stone. Parts of the walls were carved into well-worn patterns, indicating this room once had a functional purpose. In the middle of the vast, oddly flat floor space was a circle of candles surrounding a… magic circle of some kind… that had somehow been carved into the very floor.

"I must apologize," Lord Nathan finally said after Weiss was done taking in the scenery. "I know you despise me, and so would not have come down here of your own will – hence my extreme measures."

"What… _is_ this?"

"If my scholars are to be believed… it is the answer to all your problems."

"What would you know about my problems?"

"I know that you bear a power you don't want," he declared to the ceiling, arms outstretched. "I know your blood carries with it a curse. And I know you want to be a normal, albeit beautiful woman who can reclaim your family's nobility. I offer you a solution."

Weiss swept her eyes around the space again, taking in the details of the circle that had been prepared for her. "I'm listening…" she said carefully.

"Agree to marry me, and assent to the ritual I've prepared… and I'll not only release your friends, I will also make sure they can live comfortably for the next several years. No strings attached."

"…Ritual?"

Lord Nathan's face lit up in a grin, "To remove the magic from your blood. To remove that glowing demon from your soul."

Now this was just unfair. She still hated this man more than anything, but an offer like that was legitimately hard to pass up. It was easy to refuse him and stick with the Rose women for the rest of her life, even if it was a hard life, but… removing the magic from her blood? It may well be a lie, but… dare she take that chance?

Several minutes passed in tense silence as Weiss considered her options. He hadn't said it out loud, but Lord Nathan certainly _implied_ that refusal was not an option. At least, if she ever wanted to see Summer and Ruby again.

Which meant, of course, that the decision had already been made for her.

"…I accept," she finally growled.

" _Wonderful!"_ Lord Nathan was practically dancing. "Then we'd best not tarry. Stand in the center of the circle and I'll begin immediately!"

As she stood at the center of that cavern, with Lord Nathan Vasilius beginning his bizarre chant, Weiss allowed herself to feel a tiny flicker of hope. If he really could rid her of that glowing knight creature, then she would put up with him as a husband. If she could truly, _finally_ be rid of it, Weiss was willing to suffer any hardship. And if she had even a little sway in this relationship, she knew she could ensure he kept his promise about taking care of Summer and Ruby.

…But what about Blake?

Who would take care of her?

All thoughts were interrupted by a mixture of blinding light, multiple screams of pain, and the sensation of having her body ripped into tiny pieces. She screamed as well, but the noise was drowned out by the onslaught of pain. It was as though her very _soul_ was being ripped out of her.

…

…

When she came to her senses, Weiss was on the floor of the cavern. She didn't even remember falling. All she knew was that another light was currently outshining the braziers in the cavern. A white light.

Lord Nathan stood at the edge of the circle, holding that same magic sword from before and smiling. Just behind him stood the glowing knight.

Fear engulfed her as Weiss finally figured out what happened.

Lord Nathan didn't simply remove her magic… _he took it for himself._

…

… _ …

…

* * *

 **A** **uthor's** **N** **ote** **:** **I know it looks bad, but a cliffhanger wouldn't be as effective without that sense of imminent peril now would it?** **Don't worry, though… I don't write tragedies. Often. Most of the time. I think.**

 **A** **nd I wanna put one thing out there to all the** **RWBY** **shippers: I don't ship anyone in particular. All I do, as a fanfic writer, is craft fun stories in which I can i** **nclude all the pairings you guys like to read about. I personally enjoy coming up with different scenarios in which these characters actually** _ **could**_ **develop a relationship in a realistic sense. By the time of writing this, I've covered most of the** **popular** **pairings between the** **m** **ain** **f** **our except for Ladybug (Ruby x Blake),** **which is next in line** **. K** **eep an eye out for that project in the near future.**

 **A** **nd no, I'm not touching Enabler.** **D** **on't ask** **me to** **.**

 **^u^**


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